


Corrupt

by Kames111



Category: Big Time Rush
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2018-03-22 07:42:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 30
Words: 124,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3720688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kames111/pseuds/Kames111
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kendall finds himself getting ill after Griffin insists that he start learning the business side of the industry. Are the symptoms psychosomatic or is it something worse?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Okay that's a wrap, sounded great guys!" Kelly said smiling at the four teenagers in the recording booth.

"Thank God, I'm so tired," James groaned. Recording for ten hours straight had left them all exhausted.

"True, but just think our second album is finished!" Carlos grinned.

"I just want to go home and sleep for a year," Logan said.

"Well you guys have a week off so Gustavo can put the finishing touches on the tracks," Kelly said.

"A week?" Carlos asked.

She nodded, "Then it's back for rehearsals and preparing for interviews and all the other fun stuff that goes along with promoting an album."

"But we have the whole week off?" Kendall clarified.

"The whole week," she smiled.

"Yes! Let's go home, eat, and hit the pool," James suggested.

"We're picking up dinner, I'm not cooking tonight," Logan stated. Mrs. Knight and Katie had driven up to San Francisco to meet up with James' mom and spend a little "girl" time shopping and catching some shows.

"We'll stop and grab a pizza or something," Kendall smiled as they headed for the breakroom to grab their things.

They were waiting for the elevator when one of Griffin's assistants came up to them. "Mr. Griffin would like to see Kendall to go over a few things concerning the upcoming album promotions."

Kendall looked at his friends and then back at her. "Why me? I don't know anything about business."

"I don't ask questions, I just do as he says. Take his private elevator and be in his office in ten minutes," she said as she walked off.

"How long is it going to take?" he called after her.

"It takes as long as he wants."

"Great, there goes my night," Kendall groaned.

"Sorry buddy, we'll save you some dinner," Logan promised as the elevator doors opened.

"Sure you will," Kendall said dubiously.

"I'll make sure there's dinner waiting when you get home. Maybe we can bribe the "good luck patrol" to disappear for awhile tomorrow, " James said, giving Kendall a wink.

They had started dating after Kendall found out Jo was dating one of her co-stars and he broke off the long-distance relationship. James had been there for him day and night and they soon found they couldn't stand being apart. James had told his friends when they were 15 that he was bi, and they'd never thought twice about it. Kendall was never attracted to guys until the night he woke up and found James still holding him. He'd fallen asleep crying on his friend's shoulder and James held him that way all night. He'd watched James as he slept and realized that no one had ever loved him that much and James won his heart. Carlos and Logan knew, as well as their friend Camille, but they'd managed to keep it a secret from the rest of the world. They knew it could hurt the band's chances if they were to come out as a couple, so they decided to wait and were always very careful, never showing affection beyond friendship in public. They both dated to keep up appearances, but it was usually a one time thing and always platonic.

It had been difficult when Griffin had wanted them to do the reality show, James and Logan had quickly switched rooms until they were able to rid themselves of the nuisances and for a couple of weeks after, just to be sure they'd found all the cameras. After they had made certain the apartment was clear, James and Logan switched back to their original rooms.

"Okay, thanks James," Kendall smiled as his friends got into the elevator.

"Call if you need a ride," Logan said as the doors closed.

Kendall turned and headed down the hallway to Griffin's private elevator wondering why he had to meet with the CEO. Out of all of them Logan would be the obvious choice for any business discussions and Kendall groaned again, thinking of spending the evening with the eccentric businessman. The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside hoping that this would go quickly.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened into Griffin's private office.

"Kendall, come in and take a seat," Griffin said, pointing to a chair next to the black leather sofa. He was seated at his oversized desk and speaking with three others. Two men were seated and woman was holding a pointer and indicating some equations on the screen on the wall. They were all dressed in business suits and Kendall immediately felt underdressed wearing the jeans and plaid shirt he'd worn to work that day. He nodded and took the chair that Griffin had indicated.

"So...I'm not quite sure why I'm here. I really don't know anything about business," Kendall said.

"You're here because I want a unique perspective and because I said so," Griffin said. "Go on Amy, I can catch Kendall up later."

Kendall rolled his eyes and tried to pay attention but sitting through a long, boring presentation of stock market estimations was not really something he found easy to stay focused on. He found his mind wandering and hoped it would be over soon or he might literally die from boredom. About an hour later he stifled a yawn and Griffin's assistant, Abdul, appeared and handed him a cold bottle of Dr. Pepper. Kendall smiled gratefully and the man nodded and went back to stand behind Griffin. Kendall opened the bottle and took a drink, still trying to pay attention to what the others were talking about.

"So, what are your thoughts?" Griffin asked suddenly, looking at the teen. The other three watched him expectantly and Kendall felt like he did in class when the teacher called on him and he didn't know the answer.

"Uh...well, I really don't know very much about this but I'm sure whatever you do will work out fine."

"What about the the estimated rise in stock after the second quarter's possible division, of course taking into account the oversea's sales?" Amy asked.

"I have no idea," Kendall said.

"Well, if you take this number and divide it in half and add it to the estimated sales in China and the United Kingdom, then we arrive at the estimation that the next quarter's sales should be about 24% higher," she told him as she poined to the screen.

Kendall looked at the screen but had difficulty focusing on the pie chart that was currently showing. "I'm sorry, I think I'm just really tired right now. It's been a long day and I'm getting a headache."

"Well...THAT was disappointing. We'll pick this up where we left off tomorrow," Griffin said. The other three people nodded, gathered their things and quickly left.

"Sorry," Kendall said as he stood. He suddenly felt dizzy and grabbed ahold of the chair, "Wow, I think I might have overdone it today."

Griffin took his arm, "Rest on the sofa and then I'll have my driver take you home as soon as you feel better."

Kendall nodded and let the older man lead him to the sofa where he sat down and leaned his head back against the soft, cool leather.

The dizziness had passed and he was now feeling weak and slightly nauseated. He heard soft music playing and found himself drifting off when he felt fingers running through his hair. "Don't worry, you'll be feeling better in no time."

Kendall went to answer but found all he could manage was, "Hmm?"

"You're just overtired, we'll get you home in a little while," Griffin smiled.

"'Sorry," Kendall managed to mumble.

"This isn't something you need to apologize for," Griffin said softly.

Kendall closed his eyes against the soft lights and a moment later was sleeping peacefully.


	2. Chapter 2

James woke up and looked at the clock for the third time that night, 2:22 am. He groaned and looked over at Kendall's bed and sat up quickly when he realized he still wasn't there. He grabbed his cell and checked it for messages. He only saw the text that had come through at 9:27, "Hey, the meeting is running late. Griffin's driver is going to bring me home as soon as we're finished." James had waited up until 11:30 before heading to bed.

James dialed Kendall's number and it went straight to voice mail, "Where are you?" He laid back and sighed before getting up and going downstairs.

"Griffin's such a turd. We're suppose to have a week off and he pulls this," he mumbled as he went to the refrigerator and grabbed the carton of milk. He turned on the kitchen light and poured himself a glass. He was about to take a drink when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He looked into the living room and saw Kendall sound asleep on the couch, still wearing his jacket and shoes.

He breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to where his boyfriend was sleeping. He sat down next to him and brushed the blond bangs out of Kendall's eyes, "Hey, why are you sleeping down here?"

Not getting a response, he gently shook the other boy, "Kendall, come on. Let's get you up to bed."

Kendall groaned and tried to open his eyes, "Meh head 'urts," he slurred.

James felt a surge of anger at Griffin. They'd been working non-stop for the last two weeks and he makes Kendall put in extra time at a stupid business meeting. "I'll get you some Tylenol after we get you into bed."

Kendall finally opened his eyes and smiled up at James, "Hey Jamie, I missed you."

James smiled, "I missed you too babe, now let's get some sleep."

Kendall gave him a confused look, "Where are we?"

"Griffin's driver brought you home and you must have been too tired to make it upstairs," James said as he pulled the other boy into a seated position.

Kendall's breathing picked up and he squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of dizziness overcame him, "Don't remember... Jamie, my head hurts!"

James pulled him close, "Okay, I'm going to help you upstairs and get you something for it. Did you eat tonight?"

"Don't know," Kendall mumbled as he rested his head on James' shoulder.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Kendall didn't answer, his eyes were closed and he appeared to have fallen back to sleep. "Damn Griffin anyway," James cursed quietly. He put his arm around Kendall and pulled him up with him, supporting the other boy's weight.

Kendall groaned and grabbed ahold of James' shirt to steady himself, "Dizzy..."

"Okay, just a couple of minutes and we'll be upstairs," James said softly as they reached the staircase. They started up and Kendall stumbled, James grabbed him before he could fall and just picked him up and carried him the rest of the way to their room. He gently lay Kendall on his bed and pulled off his shoes and socks. He grabbed some pajamas from the dresser and pulled Kendall back up so he could remove his jacket and shirt.

Kendall woke with a start, "What?"'

"We need to get you into your pjs, you don't want to sleep in your clothes," James told him.

"Sorry," Kendall said as he tried to pull off his jacket.

"It's okay," James said as he helped Kendall change.

Kendall curled up into a ball and hugged his stomach, "Don't feel good."

James sat next to him and rubbed his back, "What hurts babe?"

"My head and now my stomach feels funny."

James reached down and felt his forehead. He was surprised to find his skin very cool to the touch. "I'm going to get Logan," he said softly.

"No, I'm 'kay. Just tired," Kendall said, his words slurring together again.

"You don't sound okay," James said.

"Just tired," Kendall repeated.

"Okay, but if you start feeling worse I'm waking him up," James said, unconvinced.

"Okay."

James got up and went into the bathroom and got two Tylenol and a cup of water. He went back into the bedroom and sat back down next to Kendall, "Here, take these."

Kendall opened his eyes and gave James a small smile, "Sorry, I don't know why I'm so tired."

"Maybe because we've been working our butts off for weeks now and the first down time we get, Griffin pulls this and you end up putting in an extra six hours or so? We were up at six and it's nearly three now," James told him.

"Three? What time did I get home?"

"You don't know?" James asked, his concern growing.

Kendall shook his head no.

"I don't know, I came up about 11:30 and you still weren't home," James said quietly.

"That doesn't sound right," Kendall said, trying to remember.

"Don't worry about it now, just take these and go back to sleep," James said handing him the Tylenol.

"Thanks James," Kendall said as he swallowed the pills.

"You don't have to thank me," he said taking the cup and then started to tuck Kendall in.

Kendall grabbed his hand, "Stay with me?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Sure," James smiled as pulled the covers back and slid in next to the blond.

Kendall rolled onto his side, facing the brunet and James pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him. Kendall lay his head on James' chest, James rested his chin on top of the other boy's head. "You're sleeping as late as you can tomorrow and then I'm making you breakfast."

Kendall smiled a little, "Hmm, 'kay."

A few minutes later Kendall was sleeping and James found himself nodding off. Kendall murmured something in his sleep and James kissed his forehead, "I've got you."

James woke up about eight and found Kendall curled up next to him and shivering. He felt his forehead again and found him still cool to the touch. He carefully got out of bed and pulled the blankets up over the other boy, tucked them in and then headed over to Logan and Carlos' room. He knocked and when no one answered, opened the door and looked in to see his two friends still sound asleep. He made his way over to Logan's bed and knelt down next to him, "Hey, I think Kendall's sick."

Logan mumbled and rolled over, so James shook him, "Logan, Kendall's sick and I need you to check him out."

"What?" Logan groaned.

"I think Kendall's sick," James repeated.

"What's wrong with him?" Logan asked as he tried to focus his eyes.

"I don't know, he's shivering and last night he said he had a headache and that his stomach felt funny."

"He probably has a fever then," Logan yawned.

"He doesn't feel hot though, he actually felt pretty cold last night and he's only warmed up a little," James said pulling on Logan's arm.

"Okay, okay, give me a minute," Logan said trying to free himself of his blankets.

Logan got up and headed for the bathroom. "Where are you going?" James asked, pointing to the other bedroom.

"Thermometer..." Logan said.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, I'll be right there," Logan said softly. He knew James got panicky when one of them was sick. His protective nature went beyond bullies and aggressive paparrazi, those he could handle. Illnesses and emotional breakdowns he had difficulty with because his patience with not being able to fix it was limited.

Logan grabbed the thermometer from the cupboard and followed James into the bedroom. James was sitting next to Kendall trying to wake him.

"It's okay James, we can take his temperature while he's sleeping," Logan told him as he put the little cone into Kendall's ear. It beeped about thirty seconds later and Logan looked at the tiny screen.

"What is it?" James asked.

"96.7," Logan said as he reached over and felt Kendall's forehead.

"That's low, right?"

"A little...was he feeling sick when he got home?" Logan asked, putting the cone into his own ear to make sure it was reading properly.

"I don't know, I found him sleeping on the couch when I went down to get a glass of milk at about 2:30. When I woke him up he said he was dizzy and his head hurt," James told him.

"It's probably just exhaustion," Logan said as he checked the reading and saw it was normal. He put the cone back in Kendall's ear.

Kendall mumbled something and swatted at Logan's hand, "Go 'way."

"We need to check your temperature," Logan said.

Kendall tried to pull away but Logan held the back of his head firmly. The thermometer beeped and he looked at it again, "Still 96.7."

"Stop," Kendall whined.

"I'll let you go back to sleep in a minute but you need to tell me how you're feeling," Logan said.

"Tired, now go 'way," Kendall ordered, pulling the blanket tighter.

"No, now is your head still hurting and how's your stomach doing?" Logan asked.

"Better, now go 'way," Kendall ordered again.

"We should just let him sleep, I'll check his temperature again later," Logan said, realizing their friend was not going to cooperate.

"What's going on?" Carlos yawned from the doorway.

"Hey buddy, Kendall's not feeling very well," James said.

"Aww, does that mean we can't hang out?"

"We'll see how he's feeling later but right now he needs rest," Logan said as he ushered them out of the room.

They headed downstairs and started making breakfast. "I wonder what time he got home," Logan said as he started cracking eggs into a bowl for scrambled eggs.

"I don't know, but Griffin's crazy," James mumbled angrily.

"Why does he want Kendall to learn about the business anyway? You think he'd pick Logan for that," Carlos said.

"Who knows why Griffin does what he does?" James asked.

"Well, Kendall should rest today so he can enjoy our week off," Logan said.

"Yeah, I'll take him up some breakfast later. I don't think he ate last night," James told them.

"Griffin didn't even feed him? That's nice," Carlos muttered.

The phone rang and Logan answered, "Hello. No, I'm sorry he's sleeping. Tonight...he's really not feeling well. Okay...I'll tell him," Logan said and hung up.

"Who was that?" James asked.

Logan gave him a pained smile, "Griffin's assistant. She said there's another meeting since they didn't get through it all last night. He's sending his driver at five."

"IT'S SATURDAY!" James yelled.

"I know that," Logan said.

"He's not going," James stated.

Logan thought for a minute, "I can go, I'll just reschedule my date with Camille for tomorrow."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should stay here with Kendall and I can go," James said.

"James it's not a big deal. Besides, he probaby won't be in a good mood and I'd rather deal with Griffin," Logan told him.

James thought back on the rare ocassions that Kendall had been sick, or at least admitted to it, and decided Logan was probably right. Kendall did not take kindly to being babied and only his mom seemed to be able to get him to follow doctor's orders. Even then he could usually convince her that he was well before he actually was.

James nodded, "Okay, but what if he's really sick?"

"Then just send me a text, but I really think it's exhaustion. He'll probably be feeling better after a few more hours of sleep," Logan said reasurringly.

"I hope so, he couldn't even walk up the stairs," James sighed.

"He'll be okay buddy," Carlos smiled, patting James on the shoulder.

James smiled back, "I'll take him some breakfast and make sure he stays in bed."

"Bland foods are best for now, and we need to make sure he stays hydrated." Logan said putting some toast on a plate and then setting it on a tray. Carlos grabbed the milk and poured a glass and set it next to the plate.

"Okay, thanks guys," James smiled as he took the tray and headed upstairs.

Kendall found himself in the middle of a bizarre dream where he could feel someone pressing down on him but knew no one was there. He tried to move but only managed a slight shift. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a slight whimper.

He could hear voices around him, but couldn't move or open his eyes. He couldn't make out the words and someone was running their fingers through his hair. He could smell cologne and the scent was familiar, and a bit overpowering. His head felt thick and his heart was racing and he didn't know why. Then the words became a little clearer although he couldn't identify the voices.

"I didn't want him completely out of it."

"I'm sorry sir but it's nearly impossible to gauge the correct dosage this way."

"Well fix it, I want him aware. He's not much good if he can't respond."

"Yes sir, I just need to decrease it a bit."

"Do it and make sure you get it right next time!"

Kendall struggled, trying to move. His body jerked a bit and the fingers were back, running through his hair. He could feel hot breath on his neck as another hand stroked his cheek, "Shh, we'll get it right next time."


	3. Chapter 3

James took the tray into the bedroom and set it on the night table between the two beds. He sat down next to Kendall and brushed his hair back from his eyes, "Hey babe, wake up I brought you something to eat."

Kendall didn't answer but his leg jerked and he whimpered in his sleep.

"Kendall, wake up," James said a little louder.

Kendall could feel fingers running through his hair and he jerked awake, pulling away from whoever was touching him.

"Kendall it's me, are you okay?" James asked.

"What?" Kendall asked in a panicked tone.

"What's wrong?" James asked as he noticed Kendall's labored breathing and unfocused eyes.

Kendall shook his head, trying to clear it, "No."

"Were you having a bad dream?" James asked softly.

"What?"

"Look at me," James said, taking Kendall's face in his hands.

Kendall relaxed a little at the sound of James' voice, "Dream...I don't remember it."

"It's okay, do you want me to get Logan?"

"No, I'm okay," Kendall said, lying back down.

"Okay, but you need to eat something," James said.

"Not hungry," Kendall said, closing his eyes.

"Well too bad. You didn't eat last night and Logan said to feed you," James told him as he pulled Kendall back up.

"James...stop!"

"No, you need to eat," James said firmly as he picked up the tray and placed it on Kendall's lap.

"But I wanna sleep," Kendall whined.

"Just some toast and milk and then you can go back to sleep. Please babe?" James asked giving him a sorrowful look.

Kendall rolled his eyes, "Fine, ONE piece of toast."

James smiled, "That's all I ask. You're taking it easy for the rest of the weekend."

"But we have time off, I wanna do something fun," Kendall said, as he took a bite.

"We will, but you need to take it easy for now. Logan's going to go meet with Griffin and tell him you're sick."

"Why is he doing that?" Kendall asked suddenly feeling anxious.

"Because Griffin called a little while ago and said he wants you there to finish up whatever it is you were talking about last night. What was the meeting about anyway?" James asked.

Kendall tried to remember and felt the headache coming back, "S-Something about stocks and overseas marketing. I kinda zoned out," Kendall said as he pushed the tray away.

James pushed the tray back, "Eat your breakfast." Kendall shook his head as he felt his stomach start to do flip flops.

"Kendall?"

Kendall suddenly jumped up and bolted for the bathroom, James right behind him. Kendall knelt beside the toilet and threw up the few bites of toast he'd eaten and then started dry heaving. A moment later he started coughing and and panicked when he saw blood.

"Logan!" James yelled as he rubbed Kendall's back. He grabbed a tissue and held it to Kendall's face, "It's okay babe, it's just your nose."

Kendall nodded and allowed James to apply pressure but he started feeling dizzy and sat back, leaning against the tub.

"LOGAN!" James yelled again, starting to get freaked out himself.

Logan and Carlos were discussing plans for the day when they heard James yell. "Oh no, now what?" Logan asked as he ran up the stairs with Carlos following. Logan saw James holding something to Kendall's face and there was blood on both their hands as well as a few drops around the toilet.

"What happened!?" Logan asked moving quickly to his friends.

"He threw up and started coughing and his nose started bleeding and now there's blood and it won't stop!" James rushed out in one panicked breath.

"Okay, let me take a look," Logan said softly.

James nodded and took his hand away. Logan looked Kendall over, "It's slowing down. Carlos, can you grab an icepack?"

"Sure," Carlos nodded and hurried back downstairs.

"Did you hit your nose when you were throwing up?" Logan asked as he started to clean up Kendall's face.

"No...Logie, don't feel well."

"Okay, tell me what's going on," Logan said.

"Head hurts, dizzy, my stomach feels weird...so tired," Kendall said as he started to slip sideways.

"Whoa! Okay, let's get you back to bed," Logan said as James grabbed Kendall to keep him from falling over all the way. James got Kendall up and each of them put an arm around him and helped him back into the bedroom.

Once Kendall was back in bed Logan ran back into the bathroom for the thermometer. He went back into the bedroom and sat next to Kendall, "Does anything else hurt?"

"Hmm?" Kendall asked, nearly asleep.

"You need to try and focus buddy, does it hurt anywhere else? How bad is the pain in your head?" Logan asked softly as he took Kendall's temperature.

"Logie, go 'way. Wanna sleep," Kendall slurred.

"Not until you answer me," Logan said firmly. He looked at the thermometer, "At least your temperature is normal now."

"Here Logan," Carlos said handing him the ice pack.

"Thanks Carlos," Logan smiled setting the thermometer on the table.

"Is he okay?" Carlos whispered.

"I think so," Logan nodded. He held the ice pack to Kendall's face and tried to pull away. "No, we need to keep this on your nose for a few minutes."

"Cold," Kendall whined, swatting at Logan's hand.

"I know, but you need it. Now answer my question, does anything else hurt?"

"No, now go 'way."

"Stubborn...did you eat or drink anything that tasted funny?" Logan asked, wondering if it might be food poisoning.

"No, all I had was a Dr. Pepper, now let me sleep," Kendall said as he pulled the blankets up further.

"Okay, but you're staying in bed the rest of the day and if you get any worse we're taking you to the doctor," Logan stated.

"Fine," Kendall mumbled.

Logan looked at James, "Just hold the ice pack here for a few more minutes. Sleep is probably the best thing, but I'm going to look up a few thing."

James nodded and took Logan's place on the bed, "Thanks Logan."

"No problem, once the bleeding has completely stopped and he's resting you need to come down and eat too."

"What's wrong with him?" James asked quietly.

"I think it's just exhaustion but there's a chance he picked up a virus too. We've all been so worn out that our immunity is probably getting low. I think rest and then a few healthy meals for all of us will aid in boosting our natural resources."

James looked at him, "Logan...I had like four hours sleep so could you say that in English?"

"Sorry, we're just overtired and that makes it easier for us to catch something," Logan smiled.

"Why the nosebleed?"

"Probably from throwing up and coughing. It can break blood vessels in your nose and throat, sometimes even your eyes."

James sighed, "Okay."

"He's going to be okay buddy," Logan said reasurringly.

James smiled, "I know."

Half an hour later Kendall was sleeping peacefully so James tucked the blankets in around him and kissed him on the cheek. He went downstairs where he found Carlos watching TV and Logan looking at something on the internet. "Hey guys."

"Kendall's sleeping?" Logan asked without looking up.

"Yeah," James yawned.

"Sounds like you could use some sleep too. Why don't you eat and then take a nap?" Logan suggested.

"Sounds good."

"There's a plate for you in the fridge," Logan said.

"Thanks," James smiled as he pulled out the plate and put it in the microwave. After the timer beeped he grabbed the plate and sat down next to Logan. "What are you working on?"

"Just checking out a couple of things," Logan said.

"Like what?"

"Thought I'd get a head start on the meeting today by researching the stocks and marketing plans for RCM CBT Globalnet Sanyoid," Logan told him.

"So, boring stuff," James smirked.

"Actually the business world is quite interesting."

James just looked at him.

"Yeah, it's pretty boring," Logan admitted.

"Thanks for covering for Kendall though," James smiled.

"No problem. I'll take notes just in case Griffin wants Kendall to go over them."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen," James laughed.

"True," Logan agreed. " Camille's going to come over and hang out here later. She needs to run some lines and I thought one of you could give her a hand. She and I are going to go out for dinner after I get back."

"Cool, I like helping with lines," James said as he finished eating.

Logan looked at him, "No kissing though."

James rolled his eyes, "Really?"

"Yes, really," Logan said as he punched James in the arm.

"Ow! Fine, no kissing. It's not like I don't have someone else to kiss anyway."

"I don't need a mental image of that," Logan whined.

"Tell you what, if I kiss Camille, you can kiss Kendall...just to get even," James winked.

Logan looked at him and then smiled, "How do you know I wouldn't like that?"

James laughed, "Right."

"I don't know...there must be something about him. After all, the great James Diamond took himself off the market for him."

"One, people don't know that. Two, don't even think about it," James ordered.

"Can you two stop? I'm trying to watch cartoons here," Carlos complained.

"Sorry Carlos," Logan laughed.

James shook his head and punched Logan in the arm as he walked past him and into the living room.

"Hey!" Logan whined as he followed James into the living room.

James laughed at him as he sat down next to Carlos, "What are we watching buddy?"

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," Carlos told him.

"Cool," James smiled as he and Logan settled in to watch with Carlos. After a couple of hours James had fallen asleep so Carlos grabbed a blanket and covered him.

"I'm going to go check on Kendall," Logan said.

"Okay," Carlos nodded.

Logan grabbed a Gatorade and went upstairs where he found Kendall still sleeping soundly. He sat the Gatorade on the table and took his temperature, relieved to find it was still normal. He hadn't wanted to worry anyone but he'd checked Kendall's symptoms on a medical website and they could be the early signs of a more serious condition. "It's just exhaustion, you just need rest," he said to himself.

He got up and went to his own room to grab a book and went back downsatairs.

Kendall woke himself from another fitful dream that he couldn't remember. He groaned as he sat up, his head felt thick but at least it wasn't hurting anymore. He shivered a little and decided to take a nice warm shower and grabbed a t-shirt and some clean sweats from his drawer. He grabbed one of James' hoodies from the closet and went into the bathroom where he started the water running in the shower. He pulled off his pajamas and got in once the water was warm enough. He closed his eyes and let the warm water run over his head and down his body. He stood there for a few minutes until he was feeling warmer and then washed his hair. He rinsed off and got out, wrapping himeslf in the oversized towel that hung on the hook. He sat on the edge of the tub as he towel dried his hair and groaned a little, his muscles ached so much.

When he finished he dressed and headed downstairs where he found James sleeping on the couch and snoring lightly. He smiled at the sight and went into the kitchen to get some water. He found a note taped to the fridge, "Carlos and I went to do some grocery shopping. Should be back by three, call if you need anything ~ Logan."

Kendall got a glass of water and grabbed a box of crackers from the cupboard and went into the living room. He sat down next to James and curled up next to him, pulling the blanket over himself a little. He watched TV for a few minutes while he ate his snack and found himsef getting sleepy again. He snuggled in next to James and was soon sleeping again. James woke a few minutes later and smiled at the smaller body curled up next to him in the spooning position. He put his arms around Kendall and pulled him close, "Are you feeling better?"

"Mhmm," Kendall smiled without opening his eyes.

"Good," James smiled as he kissed the back of his neck and then tucked his chin on top of Kendall's head. He was soon sleeping again.

Carlos and Logan got back about half an hour later and carried the bags into the kitchen. Carlos looked over at the couch and saw James sleeping on his side and a tuft of blond hair poking out from under the blanket in front of him. "Kendall must have gotten up," he smiled.

"Good, maybe he's feeling better," Logan said as he started putting the vegetables into the fridge.

"I hope so, it's so weird when he's sick," Carlos commented as he started putting away the canned goods.

"I know, but hopefully it was just a 24 hour bug."

There was a knock on the front door. "That's probably Camille," Logan said going to answer it. He opened the door to find his, now on again, girlfriend standing there in camouflage fatigues and wearing camo face paint. "What part are you up for?" Logan asked as he stood aside to let her in.

"Private First Class, Edwina Moss, a witness to the kidnapping of a four-star general on NCIS," she said saluting and then kissing his cheek.

"Wow, the big leagues!"

"You betcha, hey Carlos!" she grinned.

"Hey Camille, you look really convincing," he said.

"Thanks! How's Kendall feeling?"she asked.

"I think he's feeling better," Logan smiled, pointing to the couch.

"Awww, that's so cute," she said.

"Could you guys talk a little louder?" James asked grumpily.

"Sorry James, we didn't mean to wake you up," Camille said as she went and sat on the other side of them.

"Hey Camille. Sorry I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," James yawned.

"I heard, is he feeling better? By the way, you guys look adorable," she told him.

"He's feeling better and he can talk," Kendall mumbled from under the blanket.

"Grumpy much?" James asked as he kissed the top of his head.

"Yes...hey Cami," Kendall said as he pushed back the blanket so her could see her.

"Hey sweetie, are you really feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired," Kendall told her as he sat up.

"Have you eaten anything? I picked up some chicken noodle soup for you," Logan called from the kitchen.

"I had some crackers," Kendall said.

"I'm warming the soup and you need to eat it," Logan said as he poured the container into a pan.

Kendall rolled his eyes, "Yes mom."

"Very funny," Logan said.

A few minutes later Logan took the soup out and sat it on the coffee table. "Eat as much as you can, stop if you start feeling sick," Logan instructed.

Kendall rolled his eyes again.

"You DO remember what happened when Carlos ate too much when he had the stomach flu last year?" Logan asked pointedly. "Do you WANT to puke noodles through your nose? Because if you do, you're on your own."

Kendall shuddered, remembering the incident. Logan had to pull a noodle out of Carlos' nose, which was funny, but then the noodle tickled the back of his throat and caused him to puke again...all over the front of Logan.

"I'll stop," Kendall promised.

"Good, now I'm going to help Camille with her lines and then James or Carlos can take over," Logan said.

"What time do you have to be there?" Camille asked.

"The driver will be here at five," Logan said.

"What driver?" Kendall asked.

"Griffin's, remember I told you that Logan's going to go in your place today," James said.

"No, I don't think you should go. I can go, I'm feeling alot better now."

"No way, you're staying home and resting. Griffin's just going to have to deal with the fact that you're sick," Logan said firmly.

"Griffin isn't someone who 'deals' very well," Kendall pointed out.

"It'll be fine, he may be weird and eccentric, but I'm sure he understands that people get sick," Logan said.

"Maybe...I still don't think you should go," Kendall said quietly.

"Look, I'll take notes that way if he says anything I'll tell him I'm going to go over it with you," Logan said.

Kendall sighed, he hated being sick and feeling like a burden.

"It'll be fine," James said putting his arm around Kendall's shoulders.

"I guess so," Kendall said, still feeling anxious about the whole thing.

Dr. Sean Copen was trying to convince an unreasonable Griffin that there was no way he could possibly work under these condition. "Griffin, you have to understand that this isn't the proper way to run a controlled testing of a new substance. Any number of things could go wrong, I don't have the test subject's complete medical history, I haven't run bloodwork, this is something that could go very wrong very quickly."

"You have his medical history and as for bloodwork, take some blood today and run whatever tests you need."

"It's not a complete history, which IS important, and we should have run bloodwork BEFORE the first dose was administered, " Dr. Copen tried to explain.

"You have what you need for now, if this is going to be a problem I CAN and WILL replace you. Of course you know that means you'll lose your license and probably spend a good portion of your life behind bars," Griffin smirked.

Griffin had found Copen working in a free clinic doing court mandated community service for driving under the influence. He'd also found a patient that Copen had paid off after a mistake in surgery nearly cost them their life. He'd been high on cocaine and lacerated an artery and the patient had to have an immediate blood transfusion. The hospital had swept it under the rug with the conditions that he make a financial settlement, go to rehab, and stick strictly to the research division. While Copen had managed to convince the hospital that he was doing community service as a way to give back, Griffin had found out the real reason and offered him a position with the company's pharmaceutical division. Copen had agreed because it got him out of a tight spot and paid a great deal of money.

"I'm just concerned that there could be something medical that we don't know about," Copen said.

"Like what? He's seventeen and in perfect health. You said yourself he'd make a good test subject, and now he is. You can pull the blood before and after he gets the dose today and that's all you need," Griffin said, leaving no room for argument.

"Yes sir," Copen said quietly.

"Good, now go back to your office until I call you," Griffin ordered.

Copen nodded and went to the door, "One question, why him?"

Griffin smiled, "Because he's one of the most strong-willed people I've ever met. If it works on him, it'll work on anyone."

"IF there are no problems," Copen said opening the door.

"Make sure there aren't," Griffin ordered.

Copen nodded and closed the door behind him.

Two hours later Logan was downstairs and waiting for Griffin's driver. The black Limo pulled up and Harrison, the driver, got out and opened the door for him. "I'm sorry sir, but isn't it Kendall I'm suppose to be picking up?"

"Kendall was really sick last night so I'm taking his place today," Logan explained as he got in.

Harrison nodded and closed the door, "This should be interesting."

They arrived at Roque Records about 15 minutes later and Logan headed up to Griffin's private offices. He checked in with his receptionist and Griffin went into Griffin's office to lt him know that Logan was waiting. She came back out a minute later and held the door for him, "Mr. Griffin said to go right in."

"Thank you," Logan smiled as he went inside.

Griffin was sitting at his desk looking very irritated, "Is there a reason Kendall chose not to come?"

"Actually it was more a case of him being outvoted. He was really sick last night and this morning, he still isn't feeling very well," Logan explained.

"I see...exactly what is wrong with him?"

"I think it's exhaustion, we did work alot of hours this week. I told him I'd come and take notes so he'd have all the information you want him to go over," Logan said.

Griffin stood up and clasped his hands behind his back, "I see...I'm afraid that won't work for me. I'll have my driver pick him up at noon tomorrow."

"I'm sure I can relay whatever it is you want him to learn," Logan said.

"Logan, I like you. You're smart and loyal to your friends."

"Thank you?" Logan said confused.

"You're not the one I want though. Tell Kendall my driver will pick him up at noon and I'll see him tomorrow."

"W-What if he's still sick though?" Logan said, getting frustrated with Griffin's demeanor.

"Tell him not to be," Griffin said as he opened the door and walked out.


	4. Chapter 4

Logan got back to the Palmwoods, still trying to figure out the eccentric CEO's reasoning. It just didn't make sense that Griffin would insist that Kendall learn the business knowing that he didn't have the interest or the patience for it. Griffin might be weird, but he was very business savvy, so thinking that he could get Kendall interested in something he clearly wasn't, simply didn't make sense. "James is so not going to be happy about this," Logan said to himself as he waited for the elevator. Griffin's command that Kendall be well and at his office the next day was NOT going to set well with said brunet.

He got to 2J and took a deep breath as he opened the door and went inside. "Hey Logie! You're back fast," Carlos said. He and Kendall were in the living room playing a video game. James and Camille were no where in sight.

"Yeah...where's everyone else?"

"James said we were ruining their concentration so they went to Camille's apartment," Carlos told him.

"You look better," Logan said to Kendall as he sat down next to him.

"I feel fine, I'm just tired," Kendall said.

"Good because Griffin said he wants you there tomorrow to go over everything, he'll send a car at noon. If you're still feeling sick though, you're staying home," Logan told him. He decided not to mention Griffin's comments at that moment.

"Why wouldn't he just tell you?" Carlos asked curiously.

"Who knows? It might be because Kendall's the lead in the band," Logan said.

"Great," Kendall groaned.

Logan patted his shoulder, "I'm serious about you feeling better though. If you're still not okay, you're not going. James will see to that."

Kendall rolled his eyes, "Logan, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Says the one who can't remember what time he got home and couldn't walk up the stairs on his own," Logan reminded him.

"Yes, says he," Kendall retorted, sticking out his tongue.

"Nice," Logan said rolling his eyes. "Did you keep your soup down?"

"Yes and I had a sub sandwich and salad for dinner, Dr. Logan," Kendall smiled.

Logan looked at Carlos for confirmation. Carlos nodded, "Yours is in the fridge."

"Thanks!" Logan said getting up and heading for the kitchen.

"Hurry up and eat so we can get some pool time in," Kendall said.

"That sounds good," Logan agreed, relieved to see that Kendall was feeling better.

Logan ate his dinner and half an hour later the boys were at the pool. Logan and Carlos joined in a game of pool volleyball with their friends, while Kendall refereed from a chair. He still wasn't feeling a 100% and allowed Logan to order him to the sidelines for the day. A little while later James and Camille (minus camo clothes and makeup) joined them, Camille opted out of the game to sit out with Kendall.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a lot better," Kendall smiled.

"Good," Camilled said, smiling back. She sat back and watched him for a minute, she'd been going over some things in her mind and decided to go with her gut feeling. "Kendall, when you got sick did it come on suddenly or was it something you'd been feeling all day?"

"I guess I was tired all day, we've all been putting in so many hours."

"Yes, but were you just tired or were you not feeling well?" Camille asked.

"I don't know, I think I felt okay until I woke up. I don't really remember, why?"

"Well, it's just that you guys haven't been here very long and there are some people who might try and take advantage of that," she said carefully.

"Explain please."

"There's a reason my dad goes to every audition with me. There are a lot of bad people in this town and you have to be sure to protect yourself."

"Camille, this wasn't an audition, it was a meeting with Griffin and a bunch of other people. A long and boring meeting and I was just tired,' Kendall said.

"Did you eat or drink anything though?"

Kendall thought back, "I had a soda."

"In a cup?"

"No, it was a bottle and I opened it. Cami, I appreciate you looking out for me, but I really think I was just worn out," Kendall said reasurringly.

"Okay, just make sure you're careful though," Camille smiled.

"I promise. I know the drill though, no open drinks or food containers," Kendall said.

"Good," Camille said reaching over and kissng him on the cheek.

"I thought I only had to worry about James," Logan said as he walked over to the pair.

"Nope, you need to worry about all of us," Kendall smirked as he put his arm around Camille.

"I think I might like this," Camille said as she snuggled up to Kendall and gave Logan a wink.

"What about me?" Stephanie said as she, Carlos, and James walked up.

"Plenty of room over here," Kendall smiled holding out his other arm.

"Hey!" Carlos complained as Stephanie went and sat on the other side of Kendall.

The three boys stood there, arms crossed looking at the other three. "What?" Kendall smiled innocently.

"What makes you think this is okay?" Logan asked pointing his finger from Camille, to Kendall, to Stephanie.

Kendall just smiled as each girl planted a kiss on his cheek.

James raised an eyebrow as Kendall gave him a quick wink. Logan huffed and then leaned over and whispered something into James' ear. James' eyebrow shot up further and he reached down and grabbed each girl by the wrist, "Okay, enough cuddle time. Let's all go upstairs and watch a movie."

"You're no fun," Kendall pouted as James took his arm and pulled him up.

James whispered something into Kendall's ear and he broke out laughing, "Seriously?"

"Yes, now come on and don't push it," he said as they all headed for the elevator.

Upstairs the girls found a movie to watch while the boys prepared a few snacks. A few minutes later they were all sitting comfortably watching "Sherlock Holmes."

"I love this movie," Carlos said as he stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"Me too," Stephanie agreed as she lay her head on his shoulder. Logan and Camille were sitting in a similar fashion and James looked over at Kendall and smiled. Kendall smiled back, wishing he and James could be sitting together, but Stephanie didn't know about them and they were allowing very few people in on it for the moment. James could tell what his blond was thinking and smiled again. He put his chin on his hands and curled them so they formed a heart shape.

Kendall smiled again and gave him a slight nod and settled in to watch the movie.

They were on their second movie and third bowl of popcorn when James saw Kendall nodding off. He got up and touched Logan's arm, "I'm going to get him up to bed."

"I'll help, I want to take his temperature again anyway," Logan said getting up.

James nodded and tapped Kendall on the shoulder. Not getting a response he gently shook him, "Come on buddy, you need to get some sleep."

Kendall mumbled something and pulled away from him. James rolled his eyes and shook Kendall's shoulder a little harder, "Kendall, bed now." When the other boy didn't respond, James shook his head, "Okay then." He reached down and grabbed Kendall's arms and pulled him up into a firefighter's hold. He headed for the stairs with Logan behind them, quietly laughing at his two friends.

Kendall felt himself being lifted and then being moved from a safe place. He heard a voice he couldn't quite place, and then someone nuzzled into his neck, "This isn't something you need to apologize for. We need to get comfortable because I don't know how long this is going to last. We'll be figuring that out over the next few days, so we'll be spending a lot of time together."

Kendall woke with a start, trying to pull away from whoever was holding him. "LET ME GO!" he shrieked.

"Whoa!" Logan yelled as he rushed to steady James who nearly lost his grip on the blond.

Kendall had one hand free and was thrashing about so Logan grabbed his hand and held it as he steadied James with a hand to the small of his back. James moved quickly up the stairs to their room and let Kendall slide off his shoulders onto his bed. Kendall was still fighting Logan so James took his head in his hands, "Kendall wake up, it's me!"

Kendall was shaking and trying to pull James' hands away when his eyes finally focused on the other boy. "J-James?"

"Yeah babe, it's me. What happened?" James asked sitting next to him and pulling him close.

"I-I don't know. Bad dream I think," Kendall said in a shaky voice.

"What was it?" Logan asked sitting on the other side of him.

"I don't know, I couldn't move and t-then I was moving. I don't remember anymore."

"That was my fault, I shouldn't have picked you up like that, especially since you don't feel well," James said as he brushed Kendall's bangs back.

"Not your fault, I'm just tired and my head hurts again," Kendall said.

'Why don't you get ready for bed while I grab the thermometer and Tylenol?" Logan suggested, getting up.

James nodded to him, "Thanks Logan."

"No problem," Logan said as he headed for the bathroom.

James grabbed some pajamas from Kendall's dresser, "Come on, I'll help you."

"Thanks," Kendall smiled as James helped him pull his t-shirt off. He changed into the pajamas and James tucked him in and sat next to him.

"You're staying in bed tomorrow," James said firmly.

"Yeah, about that..." Logan said as he walked back in.

"What about it?"James asked.

"Griffin wants him there tomorrow, it shoudn't take too long though and I already told him that he's not going if he's still sick," Logan said as he took Kendall's temperature.

"No," James said.

"James, if I go and get it over with then I can enjoy our week off," Kendall said.

"I thought that's why Logan went today!" James said, getting angry.

"Yeah...Griffin pretty much kicked me out and said he'd wait for Kendall," Logan told him.

"Why?"

"I don't know, like I told Carlos it's probably because Kendall's the lead in the band."

"James, you know how strange Griffin is and I just want to get it over with," Kendall yawned.

"Fine, but if you're still not feeling well you're NOT going," James said stubbornly.

"He won't," Logan said reasurringly as he handed Kendall the Tylenol.

"Thanks Loges," Kendall smiled as he took the pills.

"Where did you get that?" Logan asked as he took ahold of Kendall's arm.

"What?"

"This bruise," Logan said as he pushed Kendall's sleeve up further. There was a dark purple bruise on the inside of his upper arm, about 2 inches from his elbow, and it was about the size of a golfball.

"I don't know, probably goofing around or in dance practice," Kendall said as he closed his eyes.

"Okay, goodnight buddy," Logan said as he took the cup and set it on the night table.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

Logan shook his head and pointed to the door and James followed him. "It wasn't there this morning," Logan said quietly.

"What does that mean?" James asked.

"It's just weird that it looks that bad now, when it wasn't even there this morning."

"Meaning?" James asked.

"It's probably nothing, but it wouldn't hurt to get him checked out," Logan said.

"Logan, what are you thinking?"

Logan gave him a small smile, "Just that we're all worn out and it's taking a toll."

"You're sure?" James asked, not quite liking Logan's sudden quiet demeanor.

"Yes, now let's get back downstairs before Stephanie starts asking questions."

"Maybe I should stay with him," James said suddenly feeling anxious.

Logan took his arm, "James, he just needs to sleep now. We're going to go downstairs and finish the movie. Unless you want to explain to Stephanie why you're so freaked out right now?"

James sighed, "No, you're right."

"Of course I am," Logan said as they headed downstairs.

They went back into the living room and sat back down. "What happened?" Carlos asked.

"You know Kendall, he woke up halfway up the stairs not wanting to go to bed," Logan said.

"He's okay though?" Camille asked.

"He's fine, stubborn as usual. He was nearly asleep when I took his temperature," Logan said.

"What's going on, is he sick?" Stephanie asked.

"He had to work late last night and wasn't feeling very well this morning," Carlos told her.

"Poor boy," Stephanie said as she snuggled back up to Carlos.

Carlos smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and they all settled back in to watch the rest of the movie. A little while later he looked over at James who kept looking toward the stairs. He looked over at Logan who didn't seem to be paying alot of attention to the movie. He caught Logan's eye and mouthed, "What's wrong?"

Logan gave him a smile and shook his head and mouthed back, "He's just worried."

Carlos nodded in understanding. He wished his two friends could come out as a couple but it just wasn't the right time for them or the band. They'd discussed letting Stephanie know, but they hadn't really known her that long and agreed that they should wait a little longer.

The movie ended about 20 minutes later. "Hey, how about we take a nice walk in the park?" Carlos suggested.

"That sounds good, it's so nice outside," Stephanie agreed.

"I don't know, it's kinda late," Logan said.

"Okay then let's go sit by the pool, the fresh air will do us good," Carlos said standing up and holding his hand down to Stephanie.

Stephanie smiled and took it, "That sounds good too."

"Okay, the pool it is," Logan said.

"You guys go ahead, I think I'm going to head up to bed," James yawned.

"Goodnight James," Camille smiled as she kissed his cheek.

"Night Cami, night Stephanie," James said.

"Night James, I had a great time with you guys," Stephanie said.

"Anytime," he smiled as he headed for the stairs. Once he heard the front door close he ran the rest of the way upstairs to his and Kendall's room. He went in and checked on Kendall and found him sleeping soundly. He sighed in relief and he changed into his pajamas and then went to brush his teeth. He ran a comb through his hair and went back to the bedroom where he carefully slid into the bed next to Kendall.

"Hmm?" Kendall murmured.

"It's just me babe. How are you feeling?" James asked, kissing his forehead.

"Okay," Kendall smiled as he snuggled up to james.

"You want me to stay with you?"

Kendall nodded and James smiled as he pulled him closer. Kendall was just nodding off when he opened his eyes and looked up at James, "Did Logan really say he was going to kiss you, tongue and all, if Camille and Stephanie kissed me again?"

"Yes he did and it was HIS girlfriend kissing my boyfriend."

Kendall laughed, "You guys are so weird sometimes."

"You love me," James smirked.

"That I do," Kendall said as he gave James a kiss.

James kissed him back and then kissed his forehead, "Sleep, we both need it."

"M'kay," Kendall sighed happily as he hugged James around the waist and lay his head on his chest.

James smiled as he turned out the light.

Kendall woke up before James the next morning and stretched out. His head felt better and he wasn't as tired, but he still felt worn out. He looked at James and smiled as he kissed him on the cheek. James stirred and Kendall waited a minute before sliding out of bed. He pulled the blankets up over James and then grabbed some clothes and went to shower. He lathered up his hair and found that his arm was sore. He looked at the bruise and tried to remember exactly when he'd hit his arm, but couldn't pinpoint it exactly. With the difficult dance practice that Mr. X had been putting them through and the way they all roughhoused, he was surprised they're weren't more.

After he was showered and dressed he checked on James and then headed downstairs. He grabbed a bowl and some cereal from the cupboard and poured himself a bowl. He sat down and ate and then rinsed his bowl and put it in the dishwasher once he'd finished.

He looked at the clock and realized he still had a couple of hours before Griffin's driver showed up so he went into the living room and turned on the television. A few minutes later Carlos wandered down, "Hey buddy, how are you feeling?"

"Okay, I can't believe I slept that long though," Kendall smiled.

"You needed it," Carlos said as he sat down next to him. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"I already had some cereal, thanks though."

"You're welcome. I wonder if Logan will be up soon," Carlos mused.

"Why?"

"Because I really want pancakes," Carlos said. He was grounded from using the stove after setting it on fire while making a grilled cheese sandwich the week before. No one could quite figure out HOW he'd done it, but Mama Knight had banned him from all appliances for a month. He had to beg her to let him use the microwave by claiming he'd starve to death if he couldn't even nuke a snack.

Kendlal looked over at his friend and took pity on him. It could awhile before Logan woke up and he might not want to make pancakes for their accident-prone friend, "Tell you what, if you mix up the batter I'll cook them."

"Really?"

"Yes," Kendall smiled.

"Thanks buddy, you have no idea how much I appreciate this!" Carlos said hugging him tightly.

"You're welcome but I need to breathe," Kendall said.

"Sorry," Carlos said, releasing his hold. He jumped up and quickly mixed up the pancake batter.

Twenty minutes later he was happily eating his pancakes as Kendall put the rest onto two plates for their other friends. He started to rinse the dishes but Carlos stopped him. "You still look tired, why don't you go relax and I'll finish these."

"Are you sure?"

"You made breakfast so I'll do the cleanup," Carlos said, giving his friend a push towards the living room.

"Thanks Carlos," Kendall smiled. He sat down and grabbed the remote looking for something to watch, finally settling on the cartoon channel.

Carlos finished cleaning up and went and joined Kendall. About half an hour later Logan came down and popped the thermometer cone into Kendall's ear, "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Kendall rolled his eyes and slapped Logan's hand away, "I'm fine, now stop it."

"Yeah... no. Not until I know your temp is normal," Logan said as he stood in front of Kendall with his arms crossed.

Kendall rolled his eyes again but knew he wasn't going to deter his friend. "Fine, but if it's normal you have to leave me alone for the rest of the day."

"Deal," Logan smirked as he took Kendall's temperature. "Normal, did you eat?"

"Yes I ate and there are pancakes in the fridge for you," Kendall said.

"Okay, thanks!" Logan smiled as he went to warm his breakfast.

Logan was just finishing up his breakfast when James came down. He stood behind the couch and leaned down and hugged Kendall from behind, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because I know how to pour cereal on my own," Kendall smirked.

"Funny," James said kissing his cheek.

"Your breakfast is in the fridge," Carlos told him.

"Thanks buddy," James said and went to eat.

Half an hour later they were all relaxing and watching television when Kendall looked at the clock, "I better get downstairs."

"I still don't think you should go," James stated as he pulled the blond closer.

"It's not like I want to go and spend the afternoon listening to a boring bunch of statistics," Kendall told him as he tried to wriggle free.

"Not letting go," James smirked, holding on tighter.

"James, I need to go!" Kendall said, now unable to move at all.

"Nope!"

"Carlos..." Kendall said, blowing his bangs out of his eyes in frustration.

"On it," his friend grinned. Carlos jumped up and slapped his helmet on his head, "James, let go."

"Or what?" James laughed.

"Or...this!" Carlos said grabbing one of James' bare feet and starting to tickle it.

"S-Stop!" James squealed, releasing his hold on Kendall so he could pull his feet to safety.

"Thanks Carlos!" Kendall said, laughing at James who was now sitting on his feet and glaring at the two of them.

"Very funny," James snapped.

"Aw Jamie, I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise," Kendall smiled.

"If you start feeling tired or sick again, you LEAVE!" James ordered.

"I will, I'll see you later," Kendall promised, giving James a quick kiss and heading for the door.

"I MEAN IT!" James yelled after him.

"I know!" Kendall laughed.

Kendall got downstairs and Griffin's driver arrived about five minutes later. "Glad to see you're feeling better," Harrison said as he held the door.

"I am thank you," Kendall smiled, getting in.

They got to Roque Records a few minutes later and Kendall went inside and went to Griffin's private elevator. He was waiting for it when a tall, pretty blonde girl with brown eyes joined him at the elevator. "Hi, are you going to junior member's board meeting?" she asked.

"I'm not sure what it's called, but I think so," Kendall said.

"My name's Jessica, I'm one of Mr. Griffin's new interns," she smiled, holding out her hand.

"I'm Kendall Knight," he smiled, shaking her hand.

"I know, I love your band," she said, taking his arm as the doors opened.

"Thanks, always glad to meet a new fan," he said as he tried to think of away to politely remove her arm from his.

"You're all so talented and very hot, especially James," she continued.

"Thank you," Kendall said as he pushed the button to Griffin's floor.

"I don't mean that you're not, it's just there's something about him," she said apologetically.

"He is very...hot," Kendall agreed as he managed to pull his arm free so he could remove his jacket.

"I hope I get to meet him, a-and the others of course. Do you think he'd like me?"

"I'm sure he would," Kendall said, all the while thinking, "Not a chance."

The doors opened and Kendall politely waved Jessica forward and then followed her into the office.

"Kendall, glad to see you here today. I trust you're feeling better?" Griffin asked.

"I am, sorry about yesterday."

Griffin nodded, "I see you've met my new intern, Ms. James. She'll be joining the meeting and running errands for me."

Kendall looked at her, raising an eyebrow, "Seriously, Jessica James?"

"Yes, I was SO thrilled being being called 'Jesse James' growing up," she said shaking her head.

"I bet, although I do like the name, Jesse, as a girl's name," Kendall said.

"ONLY if it's spelled with an 'I', otherwise it's just too country bumpkin," she said walking over to Griffin's desk.

"Wow, snobby much," Kendall said under his breath.

Kendall noticed there was only one other person there, "Am I early or late?"

"This is Dr. Copen. I brought you in early so he can check you out. Logan said you were sick for most of the day and I want to make sure that everything's alright," Griffin said.

"I'm fine, really. I think I was just tired," Kendall said, not liking the fact that Griffin had taken it upon himself to call a doctor.

"Kendall, you're insured through RCM CBT Globalnet Sanyoid and that makes it MY responsibility to make sure that you're healthy and able to perform. It's about time for all you boys to have an exam anyway, so we're just going to have yours done now. Dr. Copen has a temporary office set up down the hall and will take care of you there."

"Griffin I'm feel fine, really," Kendall said as Jessica took his arm.

"I'll go with you and keep you company," she smiled.

"I'm prefectly capable of going on my own, thanks though," Kendall said, pulling his arm away from her. His patience was already wearing thin with Griffin and the stuck-up girl.

Dr. Copen patted him on the shoulder, "It won't take too long, just follow me."

"Fine," Kendall mumbled, deciding he should just get it over with. He followed Dr. Copen out of Griffin's office and four doors down the hallway to his office.

"It's just a temporary office, Griffin felt it would be easier to do employees examinations here instead of having them go all the way across town," Dr. Copen said as he opened the door.

"I guess that makes sense."

"Just have a seat and I'll have you fill out a couple of forms and then we'll get the exam over with," Copen said, indicating a chair.

Kendall sat down and looked around the room. He was sitting in front of a small desk next to a file cabinet. Across the room was an exam table which was next to a counter that held various pieces of equipment and a small refrigerator.

Dr. Copen handed him a clipboard with some papers on it, "Just fill these out and we can get started."

Kendall sighed as he took the clipboard, "I feel fine, really."

"Better to be safe than sorry."

Kendall rolled his eyes as he started filling out the paperwork, It didn't take long, they were all basic questions, and he handed it back to Copen.

Copen looked it over as he walked across the room, "Alright, why don't we get this over with so you can get back before the meeting starts."

Kendall got up and followed him, "Couldn't you write me a note excusing me?"

Copen chuckled, "Not into business?"

"No, not at all. I think I'd lose it if I had to be trapped in an office for hours on end for the rest of my life," Kendall said, sitting on the exam table.

"It's not for everyone," Copen said as he put the blood pressure cuff around Kendall's arm. "So, what was the problem yesterday?"

"Just tired," Kendall said.

"Where did you get the bruise?" Copen asked as he removed the cuff.

"I don't know, probably just goofing off."

"Any fainting or dizzy spells?" Copen asked as he took Kendall's temperaure.

"I was dizzy for awhile."

"For how long and did you become nauseated?" he asked as he checked Kendall's pulse.

"I don't know, it kind of came and went. I got sick once," Kendall told him.

"You're feeling better now?"

"I feel fine," Kendall said.

"Well, everything checks out, but I'm going to pull some blood just to be sure," Copen said pulling some tubes and a syringe from a drawer.

"I was just overtired, I really don't think you need to take blood," Kendall protested looking at the six large tubes. He didn't like doctors and hated needles.

"Relax, it'll only take a minute. The other boys will be getting their physicals soon, which includes bloodwork," Copen said as he put a tourniquet around Kendall's arm.

"Why do you need so much?" Kendall squeaked as Copen inserted the needle.

"To run a blood chemistry screen and to check your blood cells," Copen said switching out a tube.

"Why?"

"It's routine," Copen said.

Kendall squeezed his eyes shut when he started getting dizzy. "Are you almost done?"

"Yes. Are you alright?" Copen asked, noticing the colour suddenly drain from Kendall's face.

Kendall shook his head and Copen quickly finished and placed a bandage over the injection site. "Lie down while I get you some juice," he instructed.

Kendall did as Copen said, hoping he wasn't going to throw up. Copen returned a moment later with a carton of apple juice and straw, "Here drink this, it will help."

"T-Thank you," Kendall said as he poked the straw into the carton and took a drink.

"Just lie there for a few minutes, this is actually fairly normal after giving blood," Copen told him.

"Great," Kendall mumbled, taking another sip of the juice.

Copen filled out a form and marked the blood tubes, "I'll be right back. I'm going to put these out for the courier."

"Okay." Kendall laid back and took a few deep breaths. He found the juice had helped a bit and the dizziness and nausea subsided.

Copen returned a few minutes later, "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I feel fine now," Kendall smiled, slowly sitting back up.

"Alright, I'll let you get back to work. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and eat something," Copen instructed.

"I will, thanks," Kendall said as he headed back to Griffin's office.

Kendall got back to Griffin's office and the receptionist waved him on in, "The others should be arriving shortly."

Kendall nodded and quietly opened Griffin's door and went inside.

Griffin was just getting off the phone and waved him to a chair nearby. "Dr. Copen said you were feeling light-headed?"

"Just the blood draw, he said it happens all the time," Kendall told him.

"We've ordered lunch from the deli and there are plenty of things to drink," Griffin said, indicating a small bar on the other side of the room.

"I'm okay now," Kendall said.

"He said you're to eat and drink. Jessica, please get Kendall something to drink," Griffin ordered.

"Yes sir," she smiled and went over to the fridge behind the bar. "We have water, soda, orange juice, and ice tea."

"Ice tea is fine, thank you."

"Honey, Lemon or raspberry?"

"Raspberry would be great," Kendall said.

She smiled as she handed him the bottle, her fingers brushing across his arm. "Just let me know if you need anything else."

"Thanks," he said, rolling his eyes as she walked back to Griffin's desk.

Griffin's phone buzzed and he answered, "Send them in."

The door opened and the same three people that had been at the first meeting came in and immediately began setting up their presentation. A few minutes later they were finished and looked to Griffin for confirmation to go ahead. He waved them on and Amy stood and started her speech on overseas stock estimations again.

As hard as he tried, Kendall found it difficult to follow and found his mind wandering.

Griffin cleared his throat, and Kendall jumped. He smiled sheepishly at the CEO and refocused his attention to the wall where Amy was going over the numerical equation chart. "This is worse than trigonometry," Kendall thought to himself. He opened the bottle of ice tea and took a drink.

"Are you able to follow along?" Amy suddenly asked him.

"Is this about the estimated rise in stock after the division next quarter?" Kendall asked hopefully.

"Yes!" she said.

"Thank God," he said to himself.

"Carry on, so we can wrap this up," Griffin ordered.

Amy sat down and one of the men stood up and started droning on about presentations to overseas investors and how personal appearances can make or break the fiscal period.

Half an hour later Kendall felt cold and pulled his jacket back on. After a few minutes he started feeling dizzy again and shook his head, trying to clear it. He could hear people talking, but it sounded like they were speaking through water and when he looked around, everyone but Griffin and Jessica were gone. He stood up and quickly grabbed onto the desk as his legs threatened to give out.

Jessica quickly took his arm and put it around her neck, "Poor baby, so tired."

She started leading him to the couch, but he stopped and pointed at the door, "Home."

Griffin came up on the otherside of him and put his arm around his waist and started back towards the couch. "Rest first and then I'll have Harrison take you home."

Griffin helped him to the couch and sat down next to him. Kendall reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, "Need to call..."

"Later," Griffin smiled as he took the phone and set it on the coffee table. "That'll be all until later Jessica. Tell Dr. Copen that our friend here should be ready any time now."

Jessica nodded and grabbed her purse and left, closing the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

James looked at his phone for the twentieth time that afternoon, "How long is this stupid meeting going to take?"

"James, will you relax? It'll take as long as it takes. Staring at your phone isn't going to make the time go by any faster," Logan said.

"Ir's quarter to SIX, they should have been done by now," James grumbled. He was still worried about Kendall and hated the fact that Griffin was cutting into their off time. They rarely got more than a couple of days off at a time and it just wasn't fair. If Kendall got any worse because of this, Griffin would be hearing from him, and if Griffin wasn't worried about that...then James would put in a call to his mom. He smiled to himself at the mental image of Brooke unleashed on the arrogant CEO.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Carlos asked.

James chuckled, "Just imagining what Griffin would do if I called my mom and told her what he's doing."

"That would be scary," Carlos shuddered. He loved Brooke, but she scared him...ALOT!

"It would be an interesting clash of wills," Logan agreed as he grabbed his jacket. He was meeting Camille at six for a night out and was getting ready to leave.

"He deserves it," James said.

"Yes he does. Look, if it gets any later just call and remind him that Kendall was really sick and needs to rest," Logan suggested.

"If he cared about that he wouldn't have made him go in the first place," James said.

"I know, but like Kendall said, if he gets it over with then he can just enjoy the rest of our time off. Call me if you need me," Logan said, patting James on the shoulder.

"I will," James sighed as he plopped down next to Carlos on the couch.

Carlos handed James a game controller,"Let's try and pass the time."

James smiled gratefully and the two played for about half an hour when Carlos' stomach started rumbling. "I'm getting really hungry."

"I can tell, I guess we should make dinner," James laughed.

Carlos pouted, "Logan would only let us get healthy stuff. He said we need more vitamins and stuff."

"We could order a pizza," James suggested.

"Why don't we walk down to Marino's? That way we can get pizza and pick up some spaghetti for Kendall," Carlos said, hoping the walk would help to distract his friend.

James thought about it for a minute, "That sounds good. Maybe Kendall will be home by the time we get back."

"Sure he will. Why don't you leave him a message and then we can go," Carlos said as he went to get their jackets.

James grabbed his phone and punched in Kendall's number. He wasn't surprised when it went straight to voicemail, Griffin probably made him turn it off. "Hey. Carlos and I are going to run to Marino's and pick up dinner. If we're not here when you get back, wait for us. I hope you're doing okay...I love you," James said, whispering the last part.

"Awwwww, that's so sweet!"

James looked over at Carlos and rolled his eyes. "Shut up," he ordered, his cheeks turning red.

"It IS sweet," Carlos grinned.

"Are you ready to go?" James asked as he took his jacket from his friend.

"Yup," Carlos said, still grinning.

"Good, because YOU'RE buying," James smiled as he headed for the door.

"Why me!?" Carlos said following James.

"Because."

"Logan said that's not a reason!" Carlos protested.

"It is today," James smirked as they walked to the elevator.

Kendall was having another dream where he couldn't move and he couldn't seem to wake up. Every now and then he could hear voices but couldn't really make out who they belonged too. He was so cold and his head was starting to hurt again. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his arm and managed to open his eyes. He saw Dr. Copen sitting next to him holding a needle attached to another blood tube. "W-What?" Kendall mumbled as he tried to pull away.

"Be a good boy, he's almost finished," Grififin said as he held onto Kendall's arm.

"N-NO, let me go!"

"Kendall, calm down. You passed out and I need to check your blood sugar," Copen said softly.

"What?"

"You passed out and I'm going to check your blood sugar," Copen repeated as he put a bandage over the injection site. He checked the boy's arm where the first blood had been drawn and took note of the already large bruise showing there.

"I did?" Kendall asked, confused.

"Yes. How are you feeling now?" Copen asked as he checked the boy's eyes with a penlight.

"Tired and my head hurts."

"Did you eat?"

"I don't remember."

"He only had an iced tea," Griffin said.

"Only one?" Copen asked looking at Griffin.

"Yes. Only one...raspberry," Griffin stated.

Copen watched Griffin for a moment and Kendall was trying to figure out what the problem was when two men noticed him watching them intently. Griffin cleared his throat and gave a slight nod towards the teen.

"I want to go home," Kendall said, trying to stand.

"You need to rest for a few minutes and I'm going to give you something for that headache," Copen said as he gently pushed Kendall back onto the couch.

"I don't want anything, I can take Tylenol when I get home," Kendall said.

"That'll be fine, but you need something now," Copen said as he pulled out a small syringe.

"I don't want a shot!" Kendall insisted, shaking his head.

"Kendall, have you ever had migraines before?" Copen asked

"N-No."

"I think that the stress of the last few weeks is causing migraines which is leaving you drained and feeling ill. Tylenol rarely helps with migraine symptoms so I'm going to give you something called Sumatriptan. I'm just going to give you a small dose and it will help with the dizziness and pain," Copen said as he pulled the top from the syringe.

"But I..." Kendall started.

"You're going to do what the doctor says," Griffin said firmly, standing next to him.

Copen quickly swabbed a small area on Kendall's upper arm and quickly injected the medication. "Just relax and we'll get you home soon," the doctor said.

Kendall looked at him and Griffin, angry that they weren't listening to his protests. He was about to start yelling when the room started to tilt and the lights started looking like stars. He couldn't focus his eyes or really feel his arms or legs and it felt like someone was lying on his chest, but no one was there. Copen and Griffin were talking quietly when Kendall saw Jessica come back into the room. She smiled at Grffin, who wrapped his arms around her as she reached up and kissed his cheek.

"What did you give him?" Griffin asked as he watched Kendall close his eyes again.

"A small dose of Ketamine only, it won't last too long."

"Perfect, as soon as he wakes up I'll have Jessica take him home," Griffin said.

"Griffin, we need to stop this until I get the lab results back."

"Why would I want to do that? Things are progressing perfectly," Griffin said.

"He's having some kind of negative reaction, probably to the new compound. He appears to be anemic and things could go VERY badly very quickly if it continues," Copen hissed.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. Let me know what the blood results are as soon as you get them and we'll go from there. No point in panicking until we have the actual results in hand," Griffin told him.

"We should have done blood work first! There are other tests that we should run, especially since we don't know exactly what the new compound can do. If I knew what was in the new drug, I could possibly counteract any negative side effects. There's a possibility it could cause irreversable brain, heart, or kidney damage."

"Well if that happens we'll know what to fix and what disclaimers to put on the bottles," Griffin said coldly.

"Griffin..."

"Run whatever tests you want, just don't TELL him anything. Now get out, there are still a couple of things I need to do," Griffin ordered.

Copen went to say something but Jessica took his arm and lead him to the door. "I'll make sure he gets home safely," she said, smiling.

Copen sighed as she closed the door behind him and he walked back to his office. He called the lab to have them do another pick-up and to put a rush on all the results. He sat down at his desk and pulled up a file and started typing in everything that had gone on and when he was finished he emailed a copy to himself. He may have made a mistake taking this job, but Griffin was making a mistake if he thought he was stupid. Copen knew he needed to cover his own butt, just in case.


	6. Chapter 6

Kendall floated in and out of consciousness, not really being able to focus on anything. Things looked distorted and voices varied between sounding far off and then unbearably loud. He was so cold and his head felt like it was going to explode. Every now and then he would feel someone touch him, but when he tried to focus on a face, no one was there. He tried to move but his body wouldn't obey the mental commands he was sending it. Finally he chose to just shut it all out and fell asleep to the sound of voices murmuring around him.

James and Carlos got back to the apartment with their dinner. "Kendall?" James called out. Not receiving an answer he looked at Carlos and shook his head.

"Maybe he's upstairs taking a nap," Carlos suggested as he sat the bag he was carrying on the counter.

"That could be," James smiled as he headed upstairs. He checked their room and finding it empty, went back downstairs.

"I'm going to kill Griffin," he stated as he grabbed his phone and called Kendall's number. He clenched his jaw as it went directly to voicemail again. He hung up and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Carlos asked.

"I'm going down there. It's AFTER seven and he should have been home a long time ago!"

"I know, but James don't do anything stupid!" Carlos called after him. Carlos quickly put their dinner in the fridge and then had an idea. He picked up the phone and dialed Griffin's office. A woman's voice came on the line, "Arthur Griffin's office."

"Hi, this is Carlos Garcia and I was hoping you'd know if the meeting they were having today is close to being over?"

"Actually they just wrapped up and should be leaving any moment. Did you need to speak to someone?"

Carlos sighed in relief, "No, we were just worried about Kendall. He wasn't feeling very well yesterday and I just wanted to make sure he was okay."

"I haven't heard anything, so I'm sure he's fine. I know Mr. Griffin has arranged for a driver and I'm sure he'll be home soon," the receptionist said reasurringly.

"Thank you!" Carlos said and hung up. He quickly dialed James' number, hoping his friend picked up.

James had just reached the street in front of the Palmwoods when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered."Carlos, I'm going down there and giving Griffin a piece of my mind!"

"I called Griffin's office and the meeting is just getting over. Kendall will be home soon," Carlos told him.

"Fine, he 's coming home with me then," James said as he started walking.

"James...if Kendall's still not feeling well do you REALLY want him walk the mile and a half home?" Carlos asked gently.

James sighed, knowing his friend was right. Logan had the car and there was no way he could let Kendall walk home, and he knew he would just because James had walked there for him.

"No," James said quietly.

"Then come back upstairs and we'll have dinner ready for him when he gets home."

"I know you're right, it's just..." James said.

"Look buddy, I know you're worried, I am too. He's going to be home soon and then we can just kick back and have a quiet evening at home," Carlos told him.

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry," James said as he turned around and headed back home.

"Never be sorry for caring, too many people don't. Going off on Griffin though, even when he's wrong, is just going to get us into trouble," Carlos smiled.

James smiled at Carlos' words. People thought that Carlos was stupid and they were so wrong. Innocence and a joy for life did not equal stupidity. It meant that his wisdom came out at all the right moments and this was one of the things his friends loved most about him.

"Alright, I'm heading back up. If he's feeling better though, you and Logan are going to give us some 'alone' time tomorrow," James said.

"Okay, but I don't want detaills," Carlos groaned.

"Depends on how MUCH alone time you give us," James laughed.

Griffin was sitting in the overstuffed chair next to the couch, Jessica on his lap. "Once he's awake enough I want you to drive him to the Palmwoods and be sure that you're seen, so take the T-Bird."

She smiled as she placed a lingering kiss on his lips, "Anything you say."

"Good," he grinned, kissing her back.

"I'll get to play with James next though, right?" she asked.

"Getting tired of me already?" Griffin asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh daddy, you know I love you. It's just that he's SO hot and we could have so much fun together," she said as she started nibbling on his ear.

"No you don't love me, you love my money, but you do what I pay you for very well."

"I'm VERY fond of you Artie," she insisted with a pout.

"Of course you are. I'm fond of you too, as long as you do what I want. People can be replaced though, which is why we need to keep a close eye on Copen. I don't want his doctor's 'ethics' suddenly kicking in," Griffin said.

"Why worry? Things seem to be working alright."

"Because he's worried, and if he overthinks things he could end up ruining some of my plans," Griffin said.

"What are your plans?" she asked.

"Why to have fun and live life to the fullest, of course," he grinned as he reached over and ran his fingers through Kendall's hair.

"Sometimes I think you'd rather spend time with him than me," she huffed, getting up.

"What's wrong with having both?" Griffin asked, grabbing her wrist.

"Well it doesn't make a girl feel very special," she pouted.

"You're very special," Griffin said, pulling her in for a kiss. He just as quickly released her and pushed her towards the couch, "Now see if you can get him to respond to you, I'll be back in a few minutes."

She smiled at him and nodded. She bent down and blew in Kendall's ear, "Kendall...time to wake up."

Not getting a response she straddled his waist, leaned down, and placed a kiss on his lips. "Come on baby, it's time to wake up."

He mumbled something and turned his head from her. She reached down and started kissing his neck and smiled when she felt his breathing pick up. "Come on baby, let's have some fun."

Kendall felt gentle kisses on his neck and someone softly cooing to him. He was so tired and just wanted to sleep, but couldn't seem to say anything. After a minute he started waking up a little more and felt someone pressing against him and then soft lips on his. A tongue made it's way past his lips and into his mouth and started kissing him deeply. He turned his head, trying to pull away, irritated that they wouldn't let him sleep. "Mmm, J-James, want to sleep," he mumbled.

"Oh baby, you can don't have to call me Ms. James, call me Jessica."

"Hmm?"

"Just call me Jessica," she repeated, kissing him again.

He woke up a bit, realizing it wasn't James' voice, and looked up at her. "G-Get off me!"

"Well that's not very friendly. I just want to show you a good time," she said trying to kiss him again.

Kendall managed to get his arms to work and pushed her back, "No."

"I promise you'll like it," she purred as she reached down and palmed him through his jeans.

He inhaled sharply and then pushed at her again, "Get off, I don't want you."

She pouted, "But you said you liked me and thought I was pretty."

Kendall looked at her confused. He didn't like her and didn't remember saying anything to her. "You are pretty, but I'm not interested in a relationship right now."

She grinned and leaned towards him, "Who said I wanted a relationship?"

He turned his head, "N-No...where is everyone?"

"You weren't feeling well so Ar..Griffin, sent them home."

Kendall sat up as far as he could and then squeezed his eyes shut against the pounding in his head. "Please get off, I don't feel well."

She quickly stood, afraid he might throw up on her. "Are you alright?"

He curled up into a ball and started shaking, "C-Cold."

She grabbed his jacket and covered him with it, "Are you going to be sick? Because I really can't handle that, it's just too gross."

"Wanna go home," he whimpered.

"Let me get Artie," she said as she went to find the older man.

Kendall closed his eyes trying to fight against the nausea that was building. He took a few deep breaths through his nose and slowly released them. He chanced opening his eyes slowly and found the room was still spinning. He closed his eyes again and concentrated on just breathing and after a couple of minutes his stomach settled down. He opened his eyes again and then slowly sat up, leaning his head back against the seat.

Griffin and Jessica came back in and noticed him sitting up. "Feeling better?" Griffin asked.

"I think so," Kendall said.

"Good, Jessica will drive you home. I have a few things I need to arrange for the next band promotions and I need Harrison."

Kendall mentally groaned, he did not want to be alone with her and he certainly didn't want her meeting James. "It's okay. I can have one of the guys pick me up," he said as he started to stand.

"You will not. You aren't feeling well and Jessica will make sure that you get home in one piece," Griffin ordered.

"Thank you," Kendall said, knowing Griffin wasn't going to back down.

"I'm happy to do it!" Jessica grinned, taking Kendall's arm.

Kendall pulled his arm free so that he could put on his jacket. He groaned as a sharp pain ran up his arm and then across his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Griffin asked.

"My muscles are just sore," Kendall told him.

"Well get home and get some rest," Griffin said.

"I will, thank you," Kendall said giving him a small smile. he wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and sleep for a week.

"Come on," Jessica smiled, taking his arm again and leading him to the door. he rolled his eyes as she pulled him out the door and to the elevator.

"If you're busy I can take a cab," Kendall said hopeful.

"Don't be silly, Mr. Griffin said to take you home and that's what I'm doing," jessica said as she pressed the bottom for the first floor. "So...will James be home?"

Kendall rolled his eyes as he detangled himself from her again. "No, he was going on a double date with Logan and his girlfriend."

"He has a girlfriend?" she asked with a pout.

"He's currently involved with someone, yes."

"Well, if it's not serious..." she said as the doors opened.

"Oh, it's serious," Kendall smirked as he walked out into the lobby.

"And you?" she asked, taking his arm again.

I'm not looking for anyone right now," he said as he pulled away from her.

"I can be fun, I promise," she smiled.

"Yeah...you DO know we're only 17, right?" Kendall asked, getting very tired of her and her flirting.

"Six years isn't that much older," she said defensively.

"Tell that to my mom," he said, giving himself a mental high five.

"You guys live with your mom?"

"Again, we're seventeen. There's no way our parents would have let us move out here alone."

"Well that's too bad," she said as she opened the door of a bright yellow T-Bird.

"That's life," Kendall said getting in.

Jessica didn't say anything as she got into the driver's side. She put on her sunglasses and pulled out, "If you ever change your mind, let me know."

"I'll try and remember that," Kendall said. His head was starting to pound again and the muscle weakness was returning. He just wanted to be home in his own bed, hopefully snuggled up with James.

They arrived at the Palmwoods about fifteen minutes later, Jessica making sure to park in front of the building, the sun was just going down so she made sure to park under a lamp post.

Kendall had fallen asleep and his head was lying against the headrest and he was facing his window. Jessica looked around and saw a few people hanging around and turned off the car. She smiled as she hit the switch and rolled the windows down. She shook her hair so it was falling freely around her shoulders and then moved closer to Kendall. She took off her sunglasses and climbed onto his lap. He mumbled something in his sleep as she played with his hair and then she leaned down and kissed him.

Kendall woke with a start as she began moving her hips against him while kissing him deeply. He tried to push her away but there was very little room to manuever and she smiled into the kiss. "Just giving you a taste of what you could have."

"G-Get off!" Kendall demanded for the second time that evening.

Jessica sat back and looked down at him. "You know you want me," she said as she stroked his cheek.

"N-No I don't, leave me alone," he said turning away from her touch. He was still feeling weak and was getting dizzy again.

"But baby..." she cooed.

"Get off, I'm going to be sick," he told her.

"Ew!" she said as she hastily climbed back into the other seat.

Kendall fumbled with the door and got it open. He got out and hung onto it, the sudden movement increasing the dizziness. He took a deep breath as he closed the door, "Thanks for the ride home."

"Anytime you want a ride, just call," she said suggestively, turning the engine back on.

"Cold day in hell," he thought as he made his way inside.

Guitar Dude was sitting on a bench just outside the door and looked at Kendall in concern. "Hey dude, you look terrible. Bad date?"

"Huh?" Kendall asked.

"Who's the blonde dudette?"

"Griffin's assistant. I'm sorry, I'm not feeling very well, I need to get upstairs," Kendall said, afraid he was going to pass out.

Guitar Dude jumped up and opened the door, "You need any help?"

Kendall gave him a small smile, "I think I can make it, thanks."

"No problem, feel better."

"I'll try," Kendall said as he headed for the elevators.

He started to shake as a cold chill came over him and was glad when the elevator doors finally opened. He hit the button for the second floor and prayed it would hurry as the movement was making him sick to his stomach again. It stopped after what seemed an eternity and Kendall stumbled out and down the hallway. He got to 2J and tried the door to find it locked. He was checking his jacket pockets for his keys when the door opened.

"Thank God you're home, James is going crazy," Carlos said.

"Los, I d-don't feel so well," Kendall said as everything started spinning again.

Carlos took one look at Kendall's pale face and grabbed him before he could fall. "James!"

James came running as Carlos helped Kendall in the front door. "What happened!?"

"Just tired," Kendall said.

James took his other arm and he and Carlos got Kendall into the living room and onto the couch.

"I'm calling Logan," Carlos said grabbing his phone.

"No! I'm fine, just tired. A couple of hours of sleep and I'll be okay," Kendall insisted.

"You're white as a sheet and can barely stand up!" James said.

"Please don't ruin his date, he already changed it because of me. If I still don't feel well in a little while, you can call him."

James looked over at Carlos and gave him a reluctant nod. "One hour and if you're not doing any better I'm calling him," James said.

"Deal," Kendall said as he curled up against the seat.

James sat down next to him, "Did you eat anything?"

"No, not yet."

James put his hand on Kendall's forehead, "You're freezing again. Carlos can you grab the thermometer?"

"Sure thing buddy," Carlos said as he ran to get it. He returned a moment later and handed it to James, "I'm going to warm up dinner."

"Thanks buddy," James said as he put the thermometer in Kendall's ear. It beeped about twenty seconds later and James looked at it, "97.1... what is going on with you?"

"Hmm?"

"Dinner's ready," Carlos said as he placed the warmed up spaghetti and pizza on the table.

James pulled Kendall up, "Come on, you need to eat."

"James, not hungry!" Kendall whined.

"Too bad," James said as he pushed him onto a chair.

"Come on buddy, you felt better after you ate yesterday," Carlos reminded him.

"Okay, I'll try," Kendall said.

"It's one of your favorites," James said as he sat down next to him.

Kendall smiled at him, "Thanks guys."

"Want me to take your jacket?" Carlos offered before he sat down.

"No thanks, I'm kinda cold," Kendall said as he took a bite of his food.

"How is it?" James asked.

"It's good," Kendall said as he took another bite.

"Good," James smiled. Half an hour later they had finished eating and they cleared the table.

"You guys got dinner, so I'll do the dishes," Kendall said.

"No, you won't," Carlos said, pushing him towards the living room.

"I'm NOT an invalid!" Kendall protested.

Carlos crossed his arms and looked at him. "When I was sick last year did you let me do anything?"

Kendall rolled his eyes. "I'm not sick, I'm just tired."

Carlos arched an eyebrow and pointed towards the living room, "Go."

Kendall went to say something but Carlos pointed again, "Now!"

James laughed, "Just go sit down, we'll be done in a couple of minutes."

"Fine, I'm going to get some Tylenol," Kendall said as he headed to the downstairs bathroom. He got the bottle from the medicine cabinet and poured two out. He got a cup of water and took them, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He stared at his pale face and the dark circles under his eyes and shook his head. "I'm just tired, like the doctor said."

He turned off the light and went back out into the living room and sat down on the couch. James joined him a couple of minutes later, "Are you feeling any better?"

Kendall smiled, "Yeah, I guess I just needed to eat something."

"Good, " James smiled as he put his arm around him. Kendall lay his head on his shoulder and pulled his feet up onto the couch.

Carlos smiled at his two friends, "Well, you guys have the apartment to yourselves for awhile. I'm meeting Stephanie down at the pool and Logan probably won't be back for a couple of hours."

"Thanks Los," James smiled.

"No problem. I have my phone if you need me," he said softly, nodding towards Kendall.

James nodded as he pulled Kendall a little closer. Carlos grabbed a blanket from the other side of the couch and handed it to James, "I'll see you guys later."

"Have fun Carlos," James smiled as he draped the blanket over Kendall.

"Bye," Kendall mumbled, his eyes closed.

James and Kendall stayed like that for about half an hour. Kendall was sound asleep and James smiled as he grabbed a pillow and set it on his lap. He gently eased Kendall over so that he was lying down and then moved him so that his head was lying on the pillow.

"Hmm?" Kendall said.

"Nothing, just making things more comfortable," James said softly.

Kendall smiled in his sleep and curled up closer to his boyfriend. James ran his fingers through the blond hair and sighed contentedly, he was so glad Kendall was home and feeling better. He ran his fingers along Kendall's jawline and then up into his hair behind his ear. He frowned when felt something a little sticky and looked to where his fingers had just been and saw a small smear of red. He ran his finger along the area and it came off so he took a closer look and then sniffed it. His heart sank a bit as he recognized the scent of strawberry lip gloss.

"Kendall...what is this?"

"What?" Kendall yawned.

"This!" James said holding his finger out for him to see.

Kendall tried to focus his eyes and shook his head, "What is it?"

"You tell me, it's in YOUR hair!"

"What is?" Kendall asked as he grabbed James' hand.

"Strawberry lip gloss," James said.

"Lip gloss?" Kendall said, thinking back. He remembered Jessica in the car and groaned, "It's Jessica's."

James pushed Kendall off of him and stood up, "WHO is Jessica?"

"It's Griffin's new intern and she brought me home," Kendall said as he tried to sit up.

"And how did her lip gloss get in YOUR hair?"

"I fell asleep on the way home and when I woke up she was kissing me," Kendall said.

"She was kissing you...what did YOU do?" James asked angrily.

Kendall looked up at him, hurt in his eyes. "I told her to get off me or I'd throw up. James I don't like her, she's a stuck up little snob who likes musicians. In fact, she thinks YOU'RE super hot and asked if I thought you'd like her," Kendall told him.

"Then why was she kissing you?"

"I don't know, why don't you call and ask her?" Kendall asked as he got up. He grabbed the arm of the couch to steady himself, feeling dizzy again. James moved to help him, but Kendall pulled away. "I can take care of myself," his said, his voice breaking.

James felt his cheeks heat up, ashamed of what he'd been thinking. "Kendall, I'm sorry. I know you'd never do something like that. I just..."

"You just what? Thought that I'd cheat on you with some groupie? I love YOU and if you don't know that then I must be doing something wrong!" Kendall said as he headed for the stairs. Tears were threatening to spill over and he didn't want to cry.

"Kendall, please?" James begged. Tears were stinging at his eyes as well and he followed the blond upstairs.

Kendall went into their room and grabbed some pajamas from his dresser drawer. The memory of Jessica and her advances was making him angry and he wanted to wash all trace of her away.

James blocked the door, "Kendall, please! I'm so sorry, it's just that I love you so much that I'm afraid I'm going to wake up one day and find out this was all a dream."

"Am I cheating on you in this dream?" Kendall asked pointedly.

"No," James said quietly.

"Then WHY did you think I'd do something like that?"

"Because you're too good for me and I guess deep down I'm afraid that you're going to realize that and I'll lose you," James admitted, tears now falling from his hazel eyes.

Kendall stood there for a minute, not sure of what to say. He shook his head, "James...what do you think I'M afraid of? You're amazing! You're sweet, and beautiful and everyone wants to be with you, including her. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone and I can't even imagine being without you. You're more important to me than anyone. Jo never made me feel this way and Jessica...she makes my skin crawl."

James took him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes, "I love you and only you. I'm so sorry, it was just my own stupidity."

"Not stupidity, insecurities and I have them too, but we can't let them take over or we'll lose everything," Kendall said.

"I know," James said as he wrapped his arms around Kendall and pulled him close. "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

Kendall wrapped his arms around James, "I do, just don't ever doubt my love for you. I've never lied to you and I won't start."

"I know, I'm so sorry," James said as he kissed Kendall's forehead.

Kendall sighed, "So am I. I guess I'm just tired and cranky otherwise I probably would have laughed it off."

"You know I love you more than anything, right?" James asked quietly.

Kendall smiled, "James, I've never doubted your love. You've always been there for me and I know you'll always be there. First as friends and now as...us."

James hugged Kendall tightly and then released him a bit. Kendall looked in shock at the dark red patch on James' shoulder. His hand flew to his nose where blood was flowing freely.

"Oh my God," James said as he pulled Kendall out the door and down the hall to the bathroom. He turned on the cold water and quickly soaked a washcloth in it. "Sit," he said pushing Kendall onto the closed toilet seat. He took the cloth and held it to Kendall's face and stared applying a little pressure to the bridge of his nose.

"Jamie, I don't feel well."

"It's going tp be okay," James said. James held the cloth there for a few minutes and then checked to find the bleeding had stopped. "Tomorrow we're taking you to the doctor," James said as he worked to clean the blood from Kendall's face.

"No, it's just a nosebleed, plus I saw the doctor today," Kendall said as he tried to stand.

"When did you see the doctor?"

"Griffin has one set up at his office because he said it's time for exams for insurance, or something like that," Kendall told him.

"Well what did he say!?"

Kendall sighed as he sat back down, "He said I'm just tired from working too much and later he said something about migraines."

"That's all?" James asked.

"Yes."

"Okay, well let's get you to bed," James said, pulling Kendall up.

"I need to shower, I feel gross, and it's too early to go to bed."

"Well, how about I grab a dvd and make some popcorn and we can watch a movie in bed."

Kendall smiled, "Okay, that sounds good."

James kissed him on top of the head and closed the door behind him. Kendall stood up and started the water in the shower and peeled off his clothes. His muscles ached so much and he hoped the warm water would help. He got in and just let the water rain down over his aching body. After a few minutes he soaped up and went to wash his hair. His arms felt incredibly weak and sore, but he refused to call for James and managed to finish up. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself and sat on the edge of the tub. "Why am I so tired?" he asked himself.

"Hey, are you almost done?" James called through the door.

"Y-Yeah, just dressing," Kendall said as he pulled his pajamas pants on. He went to hang the towel and saw the inside of his left arm and stared at it in shock. He ran his fingers over the area where Copen had taken blood. There was a dark bruise roughly the size of a hockey puck and another one closer to the elbow that was thin and partially circled his arm.

The door opened and James popped his head in, "Do you need help?"

"N-No, I'm coming," Kendall said as he quickly pulled on his shirt, making certain that the sleeves were down.

"Your hair's still wet, " James said as he grabbed the towel from the rack. He gently rubbed Kendall's hair, drying it as much as he could. Then he grabbed the comb and ran it through the blond locks. "There, that's better."

Kendall smiled, "Thanks."

"Anytime," James smiled, putting his arm around his boyfriend and leading him out and towards their bedroom.

"What movie did you get?" Kendall asked as he sat down on his bed.

"A fun one," James smiled showing him the case.

"Cool, I love Minions," Kendall smiled.

"Me too, now into bed," James ordered.

"Yes dear," Kendall said sticking his tongue out.

"Funny, keep it up and I'll make you put that to good use," James smirked.

"You wish."

"Scoot over," James said as he slid in on the other side of Kendall. Kendall did as James said and James pulled him over so that he was lying with his back against James' chest. He hit play on the remote and started the movie.

About forty-five minutes later Kendall shifted and groaned.

"What's wrong?" James asked, pausing the movie.

"Just a little sore. Don't worry about it, let's finish the movie."

"Nope, roll over and I'll give you a massage," James said.

"James..."

"On your stomach and then we'll finish the movie."

Kendall sighed, knowing there was no arguing with James right now and a massage DID sound good. "Okay," he said as he did as James asked.

James straddled him and gently started working on his shoulders and upper back, "Let me know if it hurts."

"Mhmm," Kendall said, his head resting on his forearms and his eyes closed.

James smiled and increased the pressure a little as his hands worked their magic on Kendall's shoulder and back. About ten minutes later he rolled off of Kendall and kissed the back of his neck. "How was that?"

"That felt good thanks," Kendall mumbled, not moving from where he was.

"Did you want to sleep of finish the movie?"

"Both," Kendall said with a small smile.

"Come here," James laughed, pulling Kendall back over to him. He hit play and the movie started up again. Kendall snuggled up against him and James smiled again. "Love you," he said kissing the blond's cheek.

"Love you too," Kendall smiled, reaching up and kissing James on the lips. They settled in to watch the rest of the movie and by the time it was over, Kendalll was sleeping soundly in James' arms.

James heard someone downstairs and hoped it was Logan so he could talk to him about Kendall. He gently slid out of the bed and Kendall stirred, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get something to drink, do you want anything?" James asked.

"No thanks," Kendall said, curling up.

"Okay, " James said quietly leaving the bedroom. He went downstairs and found both Carlos and Logan standing in the kitchen, talking about their respective dates.

"Hey, how's Kendall? Carlos was filling me in a little," Logan said.

"He's really tired and sore, but he's sleeping now," James told him.

"He ate?"

James nodded, "He ate dinner and then we had some popcorn later."

"Okay, but we should really take him in if he's not any better tomorrow," Logan said.

"He said Griffin already had him see a doctor today," James said, pouring a glass of milk.

"Really? What did the doctor say?"

"He said he told him that he's overtired and then something about migraines," James said.

"Migraines? I guess that could be part of it, although he's never had them before. Did he say if the doctor gave him anything for them?" Logan asked.

"Nope, he did take some Tylenol though."

"Okay, well if he wakes up sick or in pain again, come and get me," Logan said.

"I will, thanks buddy."

"No problem, anything else I should know?"

"He did have another nosebleed and it took a few minutes for it to stop," James said.

"Was he throwing up or coughing?"

"No, we were talking about something and it just started," James told him, opting not to mention the argument.

"Alright, we need to keep a close eye on him for a few days, " Logan sighed.

"We will, one of us will be with him at all times," Carlos said patting both of his friends on the shoulder.

"Okay, well I'm going to head back to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning," James yawned.

"Night James," Carlos smiled,

"Night buddy," Logan said, stifling a yawn of his own.

James went back upstairs to find Kendall still sound asleep. He turned off the television and slid back into bed next to Kendall, pulling the blond over into his arms. He tucked his chin over the top of Kendall's head and was nearly asleep when Kendall started fidgeting.

"What's the matter?"

"No, get off," Kendall whimpered as he pulled away.

"Kendall, are you okay?"

"Leave me alone, stop touching me," Kendall mumbled.

James unwrapped his arms from around Kendall and sat back, hurt evident in his eyes. "Fine, sleep alone," he said and got up. He went over to his own bed and climbed in, his back to Kendall.

Two hours later the house was quiet when Kendall woke up. He groaned as he straightened out and slowly sat up. He looked over and saw James sleeping in his own bed and wondered when he'd moved. He got up and went into the bathroom and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol from the cabinet. He poured two into his hand and then decided that three might work better. He got a cup of water and swallowed the pills and headed back to bed.

He started to get into his bed but didn't want to be alone, so he climbed into James' bed and curled up next to him. James woke at the sudden movement and found a warm body next to him. "Go back to bed," he ordered.

"I am in bed," Kendall said.

"YOUR bed," James said sitting up.

"Why?" Kendall asked looking up at him.

"You wanted to be alone, so go be alone," James said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You told me to stop touching you and to leave you alone, so I am. Now go!" James ordered, pushing Kendall towards the edge of the bed.

"I didn't say that," Kendall said, his voice breaking.

"Yes, you did. Now go to bed and get some sleep," James said.

"James, I swear I don't remember saying that," Kendall said quietly.

"Well you did. Now go to bed and get some sleep," James repeated, turning away from Kendall.

Kendall got out of bed and stood there for a minute, trying to remember any conversation they'd had, but couldn't. He went back over to his own bed and climbed in, "I-I'm sorry. If I said that I didn't mean it."

Not getting a response he curled up, replaying the evening in his mind and drawing a blank to the conversation that James was talking about. "I don't remember," he whispered to himself.

James lay there for a few minutes and then realized something, he mentally cursed himself and got up.

Kendall was curled up into a tight ball, still trying to figure out what had happened. Suddenly there were arms around him and he was being held tight, "I'm sorry, you must have been dreaming and I didn't realize it, I was half asleep myself," James said kissing his forehead.

"I'm sorry," Kendall said burying his face in James' shirt.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. It was just a misunderstanding, now let's try and get some sleep," James said softly, trying to calm his distressed boyfriend.

Kendall nodded and held onto James tightly, "You won't go?"

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise," James said, kissing his forehead again.

"Okay," Kendall said, relaxing his grip a little.

James smiled and tucked his chin over Kendall's head again. A few minutes later Kendall was sleeping soundly again and James lay there listening to him breathe. He sighed contentedly and drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Logan woke up to someone banging on the front door. He looked over at Carlos who was still sound alseep. He looked at the alarm clock and sighed when he saw it was only 7:42 am. He got up and threw his pillow at an oblivious Carlos and headed downstairs. He looked through the peephole and groaned, "What is HE doing here?"

He opened the door to a smiling Griffin and his entourage. "Griffin, so surprised to see you here...on our week off."

Griffin pushed past him and walked into the living room. "Wake the other boys, I have a surprise."

"I think you being here is going to be surprise enough. Is this really important?" Logan asked in a terse tone.

"It depends, how much do you value your singing careers?" Griffin replied.

"Griffin, Kendall's still not feeling well and Gustavo PROMISED us the week off," Logan said defensively.

"And you'll get your week off, but what I have planned is something you'll enjoy and it will help promote MY band. Now get all of the other boys," Griffin ordered.

"They are not going to like this," Logan mumbled as he headed upstairs. He went into his and Carlos' room and shook his sleeping friend, "Carlos, get up. Griffin wants us downstairs."

"Five minutes Mami," Carlos said, smiling in his sleep.

Logan looked at him and shook his head, "I'm not your Mami, now get up!"

Carlos opened one eye and then closed it again. "Logan, I'm dreaming that Stephanie are AT the beach having a picnic...now go away."

Logan grabbed Carlos' blankets and yanked them down. "Griffin is downstairs and wants to see us so kiss Stephanie goodbye and get up!"

Carlos groaned, "What does he want?"

"I don't know but get up. I'm going to wake up James and Kendall," Logan said heading across the hallway to his friends' room.

He knocked and not getting a response, opened the door. He smiled at the sight of his two friends curled up together, James' arms wrapped protectively around Kendall. Logan closed the door and went over to the bed. He tapped James on the shoulder, "James, Griffin's downstairs. You guys need to get up."

"Logan it's too early and I need my beauty sleep," James yawned.

Logan rolled his eyes, "Griffin's downstairs so you need to get up.

James' eyes popped open, "What does he want?"

"Something about a surprise he has for us, so you guys need to get up before he sends his goons up here."

"He just doesn't know when to quit," James grumbled as he sat up.

Logan reached over and felt Kendall's forehead, "He slept through the night?"

"Yeah, but he needs more sleep. I'm telling Griffin that he's still sick so he's staying in bed," James said as he slid out of bed.

"I already told him that he's still sick but Griffin said everyone," Logan said.

"Too bad," James said as he quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"James, don't lose your temper," Logan warned.

"I won't, but I'm not going to let him push us around either. Kendall should have been resting all weekend, but Griffin just won't let up," James said as he headed for the door.

Logan grabbed his arm, "This is what I'm talking about. We need to be careful, you KNOW how weird and eccentric Griffin is. He said it was something we'd enjoy, so try and be positive."

"The last time Griffin arranged a 'surprise' for us, we had cameras everywhere."

"I know, but I don't think that's the case this time. I think it has something to do with promoting the album," Logan told him.

James sighed, "Okay, but it'd better be something good and NOT insane this time."

"I agree," Logan smiled.

"Alright, let's get down there and see what our 'surprise' is. Then I'm making breakfast for Kendall. He needs to take it easy so we can enjoy the rest of the week," James said as they headed downstairs.

James took a deep breath, trying to rein in his temper as they got to the landing and headed into the living room. Griffin looked at them, giving them a broad smile, "Boys, there you are...where's the other one?"

"He's sleeping," James said.

"Well, go wake him up and get him down here. We have a few things to discuss and then you can all go back to sleep."

"He's sick," James said through clenched teeth.

"Then it's a good thing that I have a doctor on call," Griffin said smugly, pointing to Abdul.

Abdul opened the brief case and handed Griffin two prescription bottles and a slip of paper. Griffin handed them over to Logan who read the paper. "It says that Kendall's anemic, most likely due to physical exhaustion and that he's borderline malnourished. He's prescribed iron pills and a prescription strength multi-vitamin. He's to start eating iron and protein rich foods and to limit physical exertion for a week."

James grabbed the paper and read it. "That's all that's wrong?"

"Yes, now go get him so I can get back to the office," Griffin ordered.

James looked at him and bit back a response. "We're going," Logan said pulling James along.

James gave in and followed Logan upstairs, "I really don't like him some days."

"Neither do I, but this is very good news," Logan said. He had felt nothing but relief upon reading the doctor's report. "We just make sure he takes the supplements, rests, eats right, and he'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" James asked, he was still worried and still angry at Griffin.

"Yes, and the faster we get back downstairs, the faster Griffin leaves."

James smiled at him as he opened the bedroom door. He went over to the bed and knelt down next to Kendall, "Hey baby, you need to get up for a few minutes."

Kendall groaned, "Go 'way, I get to sleep in today."

"I know, and you will, I promise. Griffin's downstairs because he wants to tell us something about promoting the album. It should only take a few minutes and then you can go back to sleep."

"Why?" Kendal whined pulling the blanket up over his head.

"Because he's a control freak who owns the band," James said.

Kendall sighed, "Fine, but I'm not changing."

Logan chuckled, "You don't have to, James is the only one who got dressed."

"Come on, let's get this over with," James said, pulling back the blankets. He took Kendall's arm to help him up, "Ow!" Kendall said, pulling his arm away.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked.

"Just sore," Kendall said, rubbing his arm.

Logan took his hand a started pushing the sleeve up and Kendall pulled it back, "I'm fine, it's just where the doctor took blood."

"Okay, we'll get you some ice for it then," Logan said, curious as to why Kendall wouldn't let him look.

"Okay, thanks Loges," Kendall smiled.

"No problem, come on buddy."

James steadied Kendall as he stood and then put his arm around him. "It won't take long."

"I know, I'm going to grab a sweatshirt," Kendall said as he went to the closet and pulled out one of James' hoodies.

"Why always mine?"

"They're big and comfortable," Kendall smiled, slipping it on.

"Just like me," James smirked.

Logan rolled his eyes, "Do you guys mind? Remember Griffin's downstairs and we don't need him hearing any of this."

"Logie, you worry too much," James said as he quickly kissed Kendall.

"That's enough, downstairs we go!" Logan said taking each of his friends by the arm and pulling them out the door.

"You're no fun, Logie," Kendall laughed.

"I love you guys but I don't need to see you making out."

"Why? We're really good at it," James smirked.

"James, he closes his eyes when he makes out with Camille, remember?" Kendall teased.

"Oh yeah," James said.

"I hate you both, I need new friends," Logan stated as he released them and headed down the stairs in front of them.

Kendall stopped for a moment, suddenly experiencing vertigo. "Are you okay?" James asked.

Kendall nodded, "Just a little dizzy."

"You're going back to bed as soon as Griffin leaves," James said as they started downstairs.

"I'm not arguing," Kendall said.

"Good," James said as they reached the landing. He released his hold on Kendall and they went into the living room to find Griffin and his entourage still standing there waiting.

"Its about time," Griffin said.

"Sorry, I was having a hard time waking up," Kendall told him.

"Then take a seat, this shouldn't take too long," Griffin said pointing towards the couch.

Kendall nodded and sat down next to Carlos. James and Logan followed and sat on the other side of Kendall, waiting for Griffin to start.

Griffin stood there for a minute, looking at them and then smiled. "Boys, I have some exciting news that I think you're going to like."

Carlos looked at his friends, they were looking at Griffin, not saying anything. He was excited and couldn't contain it any longer, "What is it!?"

"We've arranged a special promotional campaign which include free autograph meet and greets at the new supermall opening in Fresno, one at Disneyland, and one on a charter cruise around Catalina Island."

"That sounds great! When?" Logan asked.

"The mall is tomorrow, Disneyland Wednesday, and Catalina on Thursday," Griffin told him.

The boys looked at one another, "Uh, this is our week off." James said.

"This WAS your week off. Several international investors have moved their schedules up and instead of being here next month, they're here now."

"So?" Kendall asked.

"So, many of them brought their children with them and those children will be visitng those places. This will give them first-hand contact with you and you WILL make it special for them," Griffin said.

"But Griffin, Kendall's still sick and we haven't had a real break in months," Carlos complained.

"Kendall won't be attending those funtions."

"Where will he be?" James asked, his temper flaring.

"At my office meeting the international investors and answering any questions they might have about the band or any of you. Dr. Copen is down the hall, doing yearly physicals on the staff, so he's there if Kendall starts feeling ill, " Griffin said.

Kendall groaned and sat back, "Griffin that's NOT fair!"

"I'm not interested in fair, I'm interested in good business."

James stood up but Logan and Carlos each grabbed and arm and pulled him back down.

"Griffin, we're all tired and Gustavo promised us a week off," Logan said.

"And you'll get your week off, next week."

"I thought you said we were going to like this surprise," Carlos said.

"You will. Because along with giving you next week off, I've also arranged another visit for you at Disneyland. It starts Friday afternoon and lasts until Monday morning. You'll be staying in the Ambassador Suite and you can each invite a friend. I've also arranged for fastpasses for all of you and room service will be included."

The boys looked at each other, stunned. "A-Are you serious?" Carlos squealed in excitement. They'd only been to Disneyland once since coming out to California and had been hoping to go back.

"I'm always serious. I've also contacted Mrs. Knight, she and James' mother will be doing some work for me as well. They're already in San Francisco, so I've arranged for them to make several radio show appearances in San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Sacramento, discussing what it's like to be the mothers of rising superstars. They'll also be appearing on the early morning show in Lake Tahoe, where they will spend next weekend at the Hyatt Regency as a thank you."

"That's really generous Griffin, but I don't understand why I have to be at these meetings. I don't know anything about business and it's really boring," Kendall said.

"Because I said so. Today I want you there at two, it'll be a short meeting today so you can rest up before tomorrow. Tomorrow all of you be ready to leave at ten. Harrison will pick you up, drop Kendall at the office and then take you on to Fresno," Griffin said as he headed for the front door.

Abdul opened the door and Griffin turned back to look at the boys. "Daddy has BIG plans for his boys," he said with an unsettling smile. He turned and walked out the door, Abdul and the other staff following him out.

Carlos jumped up, "Can you believe this!? We get to go to Disneyland twice AND a Catalina cruise!"

"Carlos..." Logan said, giving a quick nod towards Kendall.

"Oh...sorry buddy," Carlos said, his cheeks turning red.

"It's fine, I'm going back to bed," Kendall said, standing up.

"Kendall, look if you don't want us to do this then we'll all tell Griffin no," James said, grabbing Kendall's hand.

Kendall looked at his friends' excited faces and supressed a smile. "Okay, I don't want you to do this."

"R-Really? Cause Griffin was pretty serious about this," Logan said in surprise.

Kendall laughed, "Guys I'm just joking, next weekend should be a blast. I am tired though so I'm going back to bed."

"That reminds me, Griffin's doctor sent some iron pills and vitamins for you. He said the bloodwork shows that you're enemic and malnourished. You should probably eat with them though, so we'll bring them up with breakfast," Logan said handing Kendall the paper.

Kendall looked at the paper, "Okay, thanks guys."

James put his arms around the blond's waist and lay his head on his shoulder, "Are you sure that you're okay with this whole promotional thing?"

Kendall smiled, "James, we knew it wasn't going to be easy and this is only the beginning. I just hate being stuck inside all day, but I hate it in school too, so I guess I'll live."

James kissed his cheek, "Okay, go back to bed and I'll bring you some breakfast later."

"Thanks," Kendall said and headed back upstairs. He was still really achy so he went into the bathroom and grabbed the Tylenol, taking two. He looked in the mirror and saw the prominent dark circles under his eyes, he was also unnaturally pale. "His own doctor says I'm exhausted and he STILL makes me go in," he mumbled as he got another glass of water and then headed back to bed.

Copen paced back and force in Griffin's outer offices and fairly pounced as the CEO returned. "Griffin, we need to talk."

"In my office," Griffin ordered with an annoyed expression on his face.

Copen nodded and held the door open and closed it behind them. "You need to stop giving that boy the drug. There has to be something in the new compound that's breaking down red blood cells. His PCV count is too low."

"I don't know what that means but fix it," Griffin said sitting down.

"The way to FIX it is to stop giving him the thing that's causing it!"

Griffin arched an eyebrow, looking entirely unamused.

"How do you know it's the drug causing it?" Griffin asked as he sat down at his desk.

"I'm fairly certain he wasn't having these issues BEFORE we started giving it to him."

"Yes...but how do you KNOW?" Griffin asked smugly.

Copen huffed in exasperation, "Griffin, he could die. I either need to know what's in the drug so that it can be adjusted, or you need to stop giving it to him."

"Fine, I'll have the lab send you the details...happy?"

Copen shook his head, "No, but it's a start."

"Good, figure it out because he'll be here at two," Griffin said.

'That is NOT enough time to figure out what's causing this. In fact, I'd recommend sending him in for a bone marrow aspiration so we have a better idea of what IS going on," Copen told him.

"You can run whatever tests you need. As long as you run them here," Griffin said.

"Griffin..."

"Can you do it or not?" Griffin asked.

Copen sighed, "Yes, but it means you can't give him anymore of the drug for now. I'll give him a little Midazolam for sedation then AFTER we get results I can adjust the drug so it doesn't actually kill him."

"Fine, as long as you have the results by tomorrow," Griffin smirked.

"The lab will take at least two days to go over the slides," Copen argued.

"I'm assuming since you've been doing research for the last eighteen months, that you are perfectly capable of reading the slides yourself?"

"Yes, but..."

"No buts, just do it," Griffin ordered and pointed at the door.

Copen started to say something but stopped himself and headed for the door.

James fixed scrambled eggs, toast, and orange juice for breakfast for Logan, Carlos, and himself. A couple of hours later he fixed a tray for Kendall. Logan grabbed the iron and vitamin pills and put one of each on the plate. "Make sure he eats first."

"I will, thanks Loges," James smiled. He took the tray upstairs and set it on the table next to the bed. He sat down an ran his fingers through Kendall's hair, "Hey babe, breakfast."

Kendall mumbled something and pulled the blankets tighter. James shook his head and smiled, "You really hate getting up some days, don't you?" He reached over and gently shook Kendall's shoulder, "Time to wake up."

Kendall's eyes shot open and he slapped James' hand away, "No."

"Kendall?"

Kendall blinked a couple of times and looked up at James and smiled, "Hey Jamie."

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Kendall yawned.

"You said 'no', and slapped me."

"I did? I'm sorry, it must have been a dream," Kendall said, groaning as he sat up.

"Are you okay?" Jame asked, helping Kendall sit back against the pillows.

"Yeah, just a little sore," Kendall smiled.

"I made scrambled eggs because Logan said you need the protein," James said as he set the tray on Kendall's lap.

"Thanks James," Kendall smiled as he grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.

"I may have to start cooking more often," James said, kissing Kendall back.

Kendall smiled and put his arms around James' neck and pulled him closer, "I love you."

James kissed him again, "I love you too, now eat."

Kenall sat back and looked at the food, "It looks great, but I'm not very hungry."

"Eat!" James ordered.

"Yes sir," Kendall laughed, taking a bite.

"Well?"

"It good, thanks Jamie."

"Eat it all and Logan put your iron and vitamin pills there," James said pointing to the plate.

"I feel like a little kid," Kendall complained as he swallowed the pills.

"Eat or I'll FEED you like a little kid," James threatened.

Kendall stuck his tongue out but took another bite, "What time is it?"

James looked over at the alarm clock, "12:20."

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope, you needed the sleep," James said.

Kendall sighed, "It feels like that's all I've been doing for the last couple of days."

"You haven't been feeling well, so cut yourself some slack."

"I hate this," Kendall said as he took another bite.

"I know you do, but just think...next weekend we'll be staying in luxury and having a blast," James grinned.

Kendall gave him a small smile, "I know, it's really nice of Griffin to do that."

James snorted, "Please, we've totally earned it. We've been working our butts off for months now and then he takes our first whole week off away."

"I know, I'm just glad we get next week off."

"Me too. I was thinking it might be fun to go up the coast for a day...just you and me," James smiled.

Kendall smiled brightly, "I would love that!"

"Good, because I already found a couple of places that would be fun to check out."

"When does your mom go home?" Kendall asked as he finished his breakfast.

"Well it was suppose to be Friday, so probably not until Monday or Tuesday next week. I'll call her later and see what she's planning," James said.

"I never thought about our moms promoting the album."

"Well, they do know us best and Griffin doesn't have to pay them," James said as he took the tray and set it on the table.

"That's true," Kendall agreed as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He slowly stood up and saw James watching him closely, "I'm fine."

"You weren't earlier."

"It's later and I'm fine now," Kendall said as he went to the dresser and pulled out some clothes.

Suddenly arms were around him and James was kissing his neck, "In that case...I've missed you."

Kendall turned around and put his arms around James' waist. "I missed you too," he said kissing him. A couple of minutes later they reluctantly broke apart, "I have to get ready."

"I know. Griffin said it shouldn't be too long today and that had better be the case," James said kissing Kendall on the forehead.

"I hope so too," Kendall said.

James went over and grabbed the tray from the table, "Do you want to go to a movie tonight?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!"

"Good, we'll figure out what we want to see when you get home," James said as he gave Kendall a quick kiss before heading downstairs.

"Okay," Kendall smiled. He took off his pajamas and pulled on his jeans and was in the process of pulling on a green short sleeved t-shirt, but changed his mind when he saw his arm again. "Stupid bloodwork," he said as he grabbed a grey long sleeved t-shirt. He pulled it on and then sat down to catch his breath, "This really sucks." After a minute he got up and went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He grabbed the Tylenol and took two and then headed downstairs.

Kendall found Logan and Carlos playing a video game so he sat down to watch. James joined them after he finished the dishes and put his arm around Kendall's shoulders. Kendall lay his head on his shoulder and they watched their friends play. After Logan lost the last round he asked if Kendall and James wanted to play.

"I think I'll just watch," Kendall smiled.

"I will!" James smiled taking the controller.

The boys took turns playing for the next hour and Kendall groaned when he looked at the clock, "I better get downstairs."

"I'll walk down with you," James said.

"Finish your game, I'll see you in a little while," Kendall said as he stood up.

"I'll walk down with you, I'm meeting Camille at the pool," Logan said jumping up.

"Okay," Kendall said as he reached down and gave James a kiss on the cheek. "Shouldn't be too long today."

"Better not be," James said as he blasted one of Carlos' men into oblivion.

Kendall smiled and headed downstairs with Logan. Harrison was waiting in front of the Palmwoods and opened the door when he saw Kendall come out. "Good afternoon, I hope you're still feeling well," Harrison said.

"Just tired, thank you," Kendall smiled.

Harrison nodded as he closed the door and then walked around to the driver's door and got in. "You got home alright last night?"

"Yeah, although next time I think I'll walk," Kendall said, remembering how Jessica had tried to take advantage of the situation.

Harrison smiled apologetically, "That won't be necessary today. I'll be there when it's time to take you home."

"Thank you," Kendall said.

Kendall's phone rang and he checked the caller ID, "Hello. Really that's great! Thank you, I'll be there later this afternoon."

"Good news sir?" Harrison asked as Kendall hung up.

Kendall smiled, "I ordered a gift for a friend weeks ago and it's finally in. Is there anyway we could stop by there on the way home tonight? It's on the other side of town."

"Of course."

"Thanks! I really appreciate it."

'You're welcome sir," Harrison said, smiling back.

They arrived at Roque Records about fifteen minutes later and Harrison opened the door for Kendall and he got out and went inside. To his relief there was no sign of Jessica near the elevators and he pushed the call button. The doors opened a minute later and he got in and pushed the button for the top floor. After a few seconds the movement started making Kendall feel queasy again and he was happy when the elevator finally stopped. He got out went to Griffin's office where the receptionist told him to go right in.

Kendall knocked before opening the door, "Eileen said to come in."

"Yes, come in Kendall," Griffin said as he waved the boy in.

Kendall looked around and saw he was the only one there, "Am I early?

Griffin smiled and stood up, "No, the others will be arriving shortly. However, Dr. Copen would like to see you again."

"Why?" Kendall asked.

"He said he wants to give you a shot of B12 for your anemia," Griffin said as he put his arm around the teen's shoulders and started to guide him to the door.

Kendall stopped where he was, "He already sent vitamins."

Griffin pushed the boy forward, "Yes, but this is something in addition to those."

"Griffin, I don't want a shot. I'm feeling much better and doesn't he need to talk to my mom about this first?" Kendall protested.

'I already spoke with your mother and I told her that we'd do whatever we need to do to keep you healthy, and she agreed," Griffin said, pulling off Kendall's jacket and tossing it on the couch.

"I think I want to talk to her first," Kendall said, trying to pull away.

"You can call her from Copen's office," Griffin said taking the boy by the arm.

Griffin pulled him down the hallway to the office that Copen was using and opened the door, "Kendall's here for his vitamin shot."

Copen looked up from a file he was reading and nodded. "Hi Kendall, this shouldn't take too long. Please have a seat on the exam table."

"I really don't think this is necessary," Kendall said as Griffin dragged him to the table.

"Sit, and do what Dr. Copen tells you to do," Griffin ordered.

Copen took a vial from the locked cabinet and then a syringe from the drawer, "This is just to give you a boost," he said as he inserted the needle into the bottle and pulled some of the liquid into the syringe. He capped the syringe and started to push up Kendall's sleeve, but the boy pulled his arm away.

"I don't want it," Kendall stated.

Griffin grabbed his upper arm and and pushed up his sleeve, "You will obey the doctor."

Kendall glared at him as Copen swabbed his upper arm with alcohol. "This might sting a bit," he said as he injected the fluid deep into the muscle.

"Ow!" Kendall yelled through gritted teeth."

"All done," Copen said, giving him a small smile.

Kendall glared at him and Griffin and decided he was going to call his mom and have a chat with her about allowing strangers to give him shots. "Can I go now?"

"We'll wait a couple of minutes to make sure everything's alright," Copen said, watching the boy intently.

"If it's just a vitamin shot why wouldn't everything be alright?" Kendall asked standing up.

"It's just a precaution I take. I always have my patients wait no matter what it is I give them."

"W-Why?" Kendall said suddenly feeling light-headed.

Copen smiled apologetically, "You should lie down."

"What?"

"Lie down," Copen repeated, taking Kendall's right arm. Griffin took the left and together they got Kendall back up on the exam table.

"What did you give me?" Kendall asked as he struggled to get up.

"Just something to help you relax. There's another test we need to run, just to make sure everything's alright, and it can be a little painful," Copen told him as he and Griffin held Kendall down.

"No!" Kendall yelled. He was still struggling and he realized he was getting weaker, "Leave me alone!"

Neither Copen nor Griffin said anything as the teen foought them. As soon as he was out Copen looked at Griffin, "I'm going to need you to help me with this. It'll take about ten minutes to pull the sample and get the slides set up, and I need someone to apply pressure at the injection site."

"That's fine," Griffin said.

Copen shook his head at the man's cold demeanor. He grabbed an oxygen mask and put it on Kendall, "Help me get him on his side."

Griffin and Copen rolled Kendall onto his left side and Copen arranged the boy's legs so he was lying in the fetal position. Next he grabbed a rolling tray and set various things on it. Next he set out twenty different microscope slides on the counter next to the fridge. He rolled the tray over to the exam table, "Alright, I need to take the sample from the top of the pelvic bone."

"Meaning?" Griffin asked.

"Meaning I need to use his hip," Copen explained as he unsnapped Kendall's jeans and worked them down a little so his right hip was exposed. "I take it you're not planning on telling him?"

"No," Griffin stated simply.

Copen sighed, "Then I'll use a little skin glue to close the injection site."

"Why is that?" Griffin asked looking over the equipment on the tray.

"Because under NORMAL circumstances I would bandage it and tell him not to get it wet for twenty-four hours. We don't need an infection on top of everything else."

"Fine, do what you need to," Griffin said.

"He is also NOT to be given anything else until I get the results and have a chance to go over what could be causing this," Copen said as he swabbed the area carefully with a surgical cleanser.

"You have the information you requested, do you not?"

"Yes, but I just got it and haven't had a chance to read it thoroughly. I did see that one of the things they used is Curcumin and, depending on how much is used, can cause excessive bleeding. I still need to research the variables in your diluculum compound," Copen told him as he scrubbed his hands.

"Fine, as long as you have the answers you need by tomorrow," Griffiin said.

"Griffin..."

Griffin just looked at him and Copen shook his head. He opened and then pulled on some surgical gloves and moved to stand behind Kendall. He opened a small envelope containing a large syringe and needle. Next he inserted the needle into a large bottle of lidocaine and drew up several cc's. He injected it around the site he was planning on doing the aspirate, moving the needle around as he pushed on the plunger. Once the syringe was empty, he removed it and sat it on the tray. Next he opened a larger envelope and pulled out a t-shaped handle with a needle about three inches long.

"If you could steady his legs?" Copen asked Griffin.

Griffin nodded and put a hand on Kendall's knee.

Copen inserted the the needle, twisting his hand back and forth to work it in. One he reached bone he increased the pressure until the guard was flush with Kendall's hip. He held onto the guard with his left hand as he removed the bone needle. He took another large syringe and attached it to the guard and started pulling the plunger up steadily. Kendall whimpered and jerked a little so Griffin put a hand on his shoulder and pushed down to hold him in place.

Red fluid began filling the syringe and when Copen had about 3cc's he detached the syringe. He took ahold of the guard and began using the twisting motion again, only this time pulling on it. He grabbed a large piece of gauze and began applying pressure as soon as the needle was out.

He taped the gauze in place and looked at Griffin, "If you could just apply steady pressure here while I prepare the slides."

"Of course," Griffin said as he took Copen's place. He applied pressure to the site, lying his other hand on Kendall's waist.

Copen went over to the counter and quickly prepared the slides and then put the rest of the marrow into a red top tube. He took half of the slides and dipped them in three types of stain and set them up to dry. The other half he placed in a slide container and filled out a form and then placed them in a white bag, sealing it."I'm going to put these out for the courier, I'll be right back."

Griffin nodded, still holding the gauze to Kendall's hip. He leaned down so his mouth was close to Kendall's ear, "Soon."

Copen returned, "Any problems?"

"Not one," Griffin smiled.

Copen looked at him suspiciously, "Let me take a look."

Griffin moved aside and Copen removed the gauze and then replaced it. He applied more pressure for a few more minutes until he was satisfied the bleeding had stopped completely. He grabbed a small tube and opened it. He applied two drops to the injection site and squeezed the skin closed. "That should do it. Now he needs to lie still for at least half an hour," he said as he rolled Kendall onto his back.

"Very good. I'm going back to my office, let me know when he's awake," Griffin said as he headed for the door.

"Wait! What am I suppose to tell him happened?"

"Same thing that happened last night or use your imagination. I'm sure you can come up with something,' Griffin laughed as he walked out the door.

"I really hate that man," Copen grumbled as he took Kendall's blood pressure. He made a notation in Kendall's file and then went back to the drug cabinet and pulled out another vial. He used a small syringe and pulled up some of the red liquid and injected it into the muscle in Kendall's upper arm. "B12, at least that's one thing I'm not lying about."

James and Carlos joined Logan and Camille at the pool about half an hour after Kendall left. They played water volleyball for nearly an hour and then James decided to get some sun. He chose his normal spot and was glad that everyone but the people playing volleyball had cleared out for the afternoon.

Camille joined him as Carlos and Logan continued playing, "So how are you doing today?"

"I'm doing much better now that I know what's wrong with Kendall and that we get next week off," James smiled.

"I know, Logan told me. He also invited me to Disneyland next weekend,," Camille said sitting back.

"It's should be fun," James said.

"Still worried?" Camille asked noting the lack of excitement that would normally be exuding from her friend.

"A little," James admitted.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. The doctor said it was just exhaustion, right?"

"Yeah, it's just weird though," James sighed.

"You guys HAVE been on the go ever since you got here a year ago. It was bound to happen to at least one of you. Working constantly, school, and then what happened with Jo...I'm really not surprised it was Kendall. I'm just glad it isn't what I thought it was."

James looked at her, "Why, what did you think it was?"

"Well, bad things DO happen in this town and I was kind of worried that Griffin might be trying something," she told him.

"What do you mean trying something?"

"You now...trying something," Camille said, her tone changing.

James just looked at her and then realized what she meant. "Camille, Griffin's married."

"So? It wouldn't be the first time someone has pitched for both teams," she said, using air quotes. "Besides, it's usually not about that so much as it is about control."

James sat up and looked at her, worry evident in his eyes. "Y-You don't really think Griffin would do something like that?"

She took his hand, "I shouldn't have said anything. James, he saw the doctor who said it's exhaustion and I'm sure that's all it is."

James smiled at her, "Yeah, you're right. I do need to call him though, we were going to go to a movie and I need to know what time he'll be home."

James grabbed his phone and quickly dialed Kendall's number. It rang twice and then a woman's voice answered, "Hello."

"Uh, sorry I must have the wrong number." James hung up and then dialed again.

"Hello?" the woman's voice answered again.

"I'm trying to reach Kendall Knight," James said.

"Oh, Kenny! Yes, he's speaking to Griffin right now, should I have him call you back?"

"Kenny?" James thought to himself. "This is James, can you just tell him that I wanted to know what time he'd be done. We were going to hang out and see a movie tonight," James said.

"Oh my gosh, is this James Diamond!?"

"Yes..."

"My name's Jessica! Kenny and I were going to go grab a bite, but I'll let him know you called. Maybe you could join us?" she asked, the tone of her voice going low.

"Uh...no thanks. If you could just have him call me," James said.

"Of course, maybe next time!"

"Thank you," James said and hung up.

Camille noticed his clenched jaw, "What's wrong?"

"Apparently KENNY is going out to grab a bite with Jessica," he huffed sitting back.

"Who's Jessica?"

"Griffin's assistant, who apparently thought it was alright to kiss him last night," James said.

"Did Kendall think it was alright...and since when does he let anyone call him Kenny?" Camille asked. She'd only known the boys for a year, but found out quickly that the blond hated the nickname. Carlos and James had been teasing him one day, referring to how a certain cartoon character named Kenny kept dying because of stupid things he did, and all three had ended up in the pool thanks to Katie.

"What do you mean?"

"Did Kendall WANT her to kiss him?" Camille asked.

"No...he said he'd fallen asleep on the way home and when he woke up she was on top of him," James said.

"And then?"

"And then he told her to get off or he'd puke on her," James said smiling a little.

"So what does that tell you?" Camille asked.

"That he didn't want it. In fact, he said she likes me and had asked if I'd be interested."

"So...isn't it more likely that she saw the caller ID and answered hoping to get you to go out with them and then thinking that maybe the two of you could ditch Kendall later?"

James smiled at Camille, his cheeks a little red, "Yeah, that sounds possible."

"Good. James, Kendall loves you and only you."

"I know. Sometimes it's just hard to see why though."

"Because you're a great guy and you have a huge heart, so stop selling yourself short," Camille said kissing his cheek.

"Seriously?" Logan said, standing in front of them wth his arms crossed.

Camille stood up and wrapped her arms around Logan, "Just like Logan knows that he's the only one for me."

"Are we having serious talk?" Logan asked.

James stood up, "Yes and you need to appreciate the fact that she loves you so much, buy her something pretty once in awhile."

"I'd like that," Camille smirked.

"How did your serious talk involve me buying gifts?" Logan asked.

"Because Camille is special and deserves it," James smiled kissing her cheek. "I'm going to head up and change, Kendall and I are going to a movie tonight."

"You are going to explain all of this to me, right?" Logan asked his girlfriend.

"Of course I am, how about at the mall?"

"Why the mall?" Logan asked.

"You don't want to tell James that you didn't take his advice, do you?" she asked pulling him towards the lobby.

The first thing Kendall noticed was he was lying on a hard surface. The second was that there was something on his face and it smelled funny. He groaned as he tried to clear his foggy mind. A voice broke through, "How are you feeling?"

Kendall forced his eyes open and looked up into a concerned Dr. Copen's face. "W-What happened?"

"I'm afraid you got a bit worked up and passed out when Griffin told you I wanted to run a couple of other tests. He doesn't seem to be very good at saying things with any amount of empathy," Copen said.

Kendall thought back, but couldn't remember anything past arriving at the office. He tried to sit up but Copen gently pushed him back, "Rest for a few more minutes. I'm afraid you're going to be a little sore, Griffin and I caught you before you hit the floor, but you fell against my desk and bruised your hip. You'll probably be feeling it more in the morning."

Kendall blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision, "I don't remember."

"It's alright, I gave you something for anxiety and it can cause a little confusion," Copen said gently.

"I want to go home," Kendall said.

"You will, very soon," Copen promised. "Rest for a few more minutes and then I'll help you sit up."

"What time is it?" Kendall asked.

"It's nearly four," Copen said, looking at his watch.

"What about the meeting?"

"I already told Griffin that you need to go home as soon as you're able. He said it was just to meet the investors who are here this week and that you can do that tomorrow," Copen told him.

"Okay, thank you," Kendall said closing his eyes again.

Copen sighed as he checked the boy's pulse again, "When did I become such a pathetic excuse of a human being that I could allow something like this?"

He shook his head again as he made another notation in Kendall's file. He went over to his desk and started reading the material that Griffin's lab had sent him.

Griffin took Kendall's phone from his jacket pocket and tossed the jacket onto the sofa. He handed it to Jessica who was sitting in a chair next to his desk, "Here, answer if any of his friends call and make up some excuse or another as to why he's not answering."

"Where is he?"

"Waking up," Griffin said as he sat down at his desk.

"Need me to help with that?" she smiled.

"No, I think Copen is perfectly capable of handling it."

Jessica smiled softly, "You're not getting jealous now, are you daddy?"

"I have no emotional ties to you, so why should I be jealous? You'll do as I say WHEN I say it, nothing more, nothing less. Understood?" Griffin snapped. He was not happy with the way things had gone this afternoon. Now it seemed like his plans would have to be pushed back a couple of days and that made him angry.

Jessica got up and walked over to Griffin, "Artie, you know I'll do whatever you need me to do. Did you need some help relaxing?" she asked as she nibbled on his ear.

"Why not?" he said pulling her into his lap. After a few minutes of making out and fondling each other he pushed her off his lap and she knelt in front of him. A few minutes after that he had a very satisfied look on his face.

Jessica stood up, smiling. She was very glad that he hadn't taken his little blue pill, he finished so much faster without it. She kissed him and then went and sat back down, "Feeling better daddy?"

"Much," he smirked.

Kendall's phone rang and Griffin motioned for her to answer it.

Jessica grabbed the phone and answered, "Hello."

"Uh, sorry I must have the wrong number," a voice said and hung up.

She looked at the caller ID, "It was James, he thought he had a wrong number."

"He'll call back, so think of something," Griffin ordered.

A moment later the phone rang again and Jessica looked at the screen and grinned, "Hello?"

Down the hallway Kendall was waking up again. He pulled off the oxgen mask and Copen helped him to sit up. "I need to go home."

"Let's go slowly at first," Copen said, taking the boy's arm.

He helped Kendall to stand and the boy tried walking on wobbly legs. His right leg felt a little numb and it was hard to stay upright at first. "W-What's wrong with me?"

"It's probably just the anti-anxiety medication i gave you," Copen said.

"What was it?"

"A little Valium," Copen lied.

"I don't like it," Kendall said as he tried to stay focused.

"I know, but you needed something to calm you down."

"If I'd already passed out why did you have to give me anything?" Kendall asked as it got a little easier to move around.

Copen thought quickly, he hadn't expected the boy to catch on. "Because your blood pressure and heart rate were elevated."

Something still seemed off about the whole thing but Kendall didn't say anything, he just wanted to go home. He sat own in a chair in front of the desk, "Can I go home now?"

"Let me check your vitals and if they're normal, you can go," Copen said, going to grab his stethoscope and the portable blood pressure monitor. He listened to Kendall's heart and then took his blood pressure. "Looks like you're good to go. I want you to take it easy tonight though, make sure you drink plenty of fluids and get some rest."

"Thank you," Kendall said standing up. He realized he didn't have his jacket and looked around, "Do you know where my jacket is?"

Copen shook his head, "I know you came here from Griffin's office, it's probably there."

Kendall groaned, "I'm really not in the mood to deal with him right now."

Copen smiled, "I can understand that. Wait here and I'll go get it for you."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'll be right back," Copen said as he opened the door.

"Thank you."

"It's not a problem," Copen said heading down the hallway.

He got to Griffin's office and the receptionist waved him on by. He knocked on the door, "Yes," Griffin answered.

Copen opened the door, "Sorry to bother you, but Kendall's up and ready to go. Is his jacket in here?"

Griffin nodded at Jessica who stood up and picked up the jacket. It didn't go unnoticed by Copen that she slipped something into the pocket as she handed it to him. "Here it is," she said smiling.

He took it from her, "Thank you. Is there anything you need me to tell him?"

"Tell him to be ready by ten tomorrow morning and to be ready for a long day," Griffin said without looking up from his computer screen.

"Griffin, maybe you should just let him recover from what we've already done to him," Copen said.

Griffin looked up and smiled, "Make sure you have your research done by tomorrow as well. I can't afford to lose anymore time on this."

Copen shook his head, "THIS, is a boy's life we're talking about."

Griffin stared at him for a minute and Copen could feel a cold chill go down his spine. "THIS is business and it happens to be MY business."

"Who damaged you so badly that it's 'normal' for you to hurt someone just to get your way?"

"You're one to talk...DOCTOR."

"My mistakes are my own and maybe I handled the way I dealt with them wrong...with my LIFE wrong, but my stupidity doesn't come close to you're sadistic nature," Copen said angrily.

Griffin smiled again, "Yet here we are...and you're working for me."

"Yes, and the difference between us is that I know what we're doing is wrong," Copen said.

"You're mistaken. I know what we're doing is wrong...I just don't care. The REAL difference between us is that I go after what I want and I get it. No matter what."

"Exactly what is it you want?"

"Isn't it obvious? To make money, lots of money. Also, to have as much fun as I can in the process," Griffin smirked as Jessica went over to stand next to him. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

Copen shook his head in disgust, "One day you're going to have to answer for what you've done."

"To whom? I'm the fourth most powerful man in the country."

"We ALL pay for the wrongs that we do. Trust me on that one," Copen said as he slammed the door closed behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

Copen stopped outside his office door and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He forced a smile on his face as he opened the door, "That's where it was," he said as he handed Kendall his jacket.

"Thank you," Kendall said as he slipped it on. He checked his pockets as he stood up and found his phone and wallet in tact. He groaned as he took a step towards the door.

"You should probably ice your hip to help with any pain or swelling, it will also help to minimize any bruising. Tylenol should help with any pain," Copen said.

"Okay."

Copen grabbed a pen and sticky note and quickly scribbled something down. "Here's my cell, if you're not feeling any better I can run interference with Griffin if you need me to. bruising," he said as he handed the slip of paper to Kendall.

Kendall gave him a small smile, "Thank you. I don't think we're allowed sick days though."

"Why don't you have your parents say something to him? It might make a difference," Copen suggested.

"My mom's taking a mini-vacation up in Northern California and Griffin recruited her and James' mom to do some work for him. My dad's...gone," Kendall said as he opened the door.

"Well, you should probably keep her updated," Copen said.

"I'm feeling better and she'd just panic. She doesn't handle this kind of thing very well, and I don't really want to be tied up in a bundle of blankets with her fussing all over me," Kendall smiled as he left.

Copen sighed as he sat back down at his desk, "That's exactly what you do need right now."

Kendall sent a quick text to Harrison to let him know that he was ready to leave as he waited for the elevator. He wanted nothing more than to be home and to collapse into his bed. The elevator finally arrived and he pushed the button for the lobby when he heard a female voice call out, "Hold the elevator please!"

Recognizing Jessica's voice, Kendall quickly pushed the close door button. He sighed in relief as the doors closed before she reached the elevator. His phone buzzed and he read the text from Harrison saying that he would be in front of the building in five minutes. The doors opened and Kendall walked out into the lobby. He was trying to hurry in case Jessica showed up, but he was getting a shooting pain running from his right hip down to his knee. "I must have hit that stupid desk hard," he mumbled as went outside.

The sun nearly blinded him and he shaded his eyes with his hand. A couple of minutes later Harrison pulled up and Kendall got in, not waiting for him to open the door.

"Mr. Kendall, I would have gotten the door," Harrison gently chastised. He'd been driving the boys since about two months after they'd arrived in Los Angeles and had grown very fond of them. He loved their upbeat nature, even if they did have a tendency to get into trouble every now and then. They were always polite to him and very kind to everyone and he wouldn't trade their mid-western wholesomeness for anything. So many of the young people who made it in this town grew rude and undeserving. He enjoyed driving them around, however, they did tend to forget that he was there to serve them, often jumping in and out without waiting for him to open the doors.

"Sorry," Kendall smiled.

Harrison smiled back, "Where to sir?"

"Home," Kendall said leaning back against the seat. He groaned when another pain shot down his leg, this time also going across his back. He moved again, trying to get comfortable, without much success.

"Are you alright?"

"Just sore," Kendall said.

"Did you still need to run to the shops, sir?"

"It's Kendall and thank you for reminding me, I totally forgot. It's on Rodeo Drive," Kendall said, giving him the address.

"Very good Mr. Kendall," Harrison said smiling, as he pulled out. The boys also hated being called 'sir'. They said they were too young and that they weren't better than anyone else. Harrison had reluctantly agreed, but only on the condition that he use 'mister' in front of their names. Old ways die hard though and every now and then he'd slip a 'sir' in.

They arrived at their destination about a half an hour later and Harrison parked. He looked into the back seat and saw that Kendall was leaning his head against the window and had nodded off. "Mr. Kendall, we're here."

Kendall opened his eyes and grimaced as he sat up. His hip felt like it was on fire and his lower back and upper leg were aching. "Thank you."

"Mr. Kendall, might I suggest something?" Harrison asked. He knew the teen hadn't been feeling well and he still looked like he could pass out at any moment.

"Sure," Kendall said, giving him a small smile.

"Perhaps you could call in and tell them that I'll be picking up the gift for you? That way you can stay here and rest."

"You don't have to do that," Kendall said.

"Sir, you still aren't feeling well and I am more than happy to do it," Harrison smiled.

Kendall went to object but realized that it would be faster if Harrison did go and he really didn't want to walk all the way to the shop. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, now you call them while I start inside," Harrison said.

"Thank you," Kendall said pulling out his phone.

"My pleasure sir," Harrison said as he got out. he made sure to lock the doors and started across the parking lot.

Kendall called the shop and asked for Chloe. He explained that someone was picking the gift up for him and gave her his debit card number. "I really appreciate everything you've done, my friend is going to be blown away."

"I was happy to do it! Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you."

"Thank you, you have a great day," Kendall smiled.

"You're welcome, you have a lovely day as well," Chloe said as she hung up.

He realized that he had forgotten to tell her not to wrap it and debated on calling her back but decided he would just rewrap it himself if he needed to.

Kendall lay his head back against the seat and was nearly asleep when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw it was James calling, "Hey Jamie."

"Hey babe, are you going to be home soon?"

"Yeah, we're finished and I'll be home in a little while," Kendall said.

"Great! Do you know what movie you want to see?"

"I hadn't really thought about it, why don't you pick. I'm happy with seeing anything as long as I'm with you," Kendall said.

James smiled, "You sound funny, are you feeling okay?"

"Just tired," Kendall said as he closed his eyes.

"Maybe we should skip the movie then."

"No! Jamie please, I want to go out and do something fun. I feel alright, really," Kendall said.

"Okay, but we'll go to a later show so you can take a nap first."

"James, I'm not four," Kendall protested.

"It's a nap or we don't go," James said.

"You suck," Kendall pouted.

"You never know...I might," James said, grinning to himself.

Kendall's eyes popped open and he inhaled so quickly that he coughed, "Seriously? It is SO not cool teasing me when I'm sick."

"How do you know I'm teasing?" James asked innocently.

"Because we agreed to wait for at least a year," Kendall said.

"True...but then again, a blowjob isn't REALLY having sex, is it?"

"You are SO not funny," Kendall said shaking his head.

James' tone suddenly turned serious as he realized what Kendall had said. "So you ARE still feeling sick."

Kendall sighed, "I just meant that since I've been sick, I really do feel better."

"You're taking a nap and eating first, or we're not going," James said.

"James..."

"I'm serious Kendall, I've been worried about you all week and if you're not better we're staying home."

"Okay, okay...nap first, then a movie," Kendall said.

"Promise me," James said knowing Kendall was very good at getting out of doing something that he didn't want to do.

Kendall sighed again, "I promise."

"Okay, I'll see you soon then," James said.

"Yeah," Kendall pouted.

James heard the defeat in his boyfriend's voice and smiled. "I love you Kendy."

Kendall rolled his eyes. James knew it was impossible for Kendall to be upset with him when he used that nickname. "I love you too, you big tease."

"I'm only a tease if I don't follow through," James said.

"Keep it up and I'll expect you to," Kendall teased.

"Wouldn't that be YOU keeping it up?" James smirked.

"Oh my God, I'm getting off now," Kendall said, ready to hang up.

"Shouldn't you wait for me before you get off?" James asked, trying not to laugh.

"Goodbye James," Kendall said, also trying not to laugh.

"Alright, I'll see you soon. Text me when you get home if I'm not in the apartment, I think I might go down to the pool for awhile."" James chuckled.

"Okay," Kendall smiled.

Kendall put his phone back in his pocket and closed his eyes again. A few minutes later he heard the driver's door open and Harrison got in. He looked back at Kendall and handed him a white bag with fancy gold lettering, "Here you are Mr. Kendall."

Kendall reached forward, groaning as another pain went through him, "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

Harrison looked at him in concern, "Are you sure you're alright sir?"

"Yeah, I just need some rest," Kendall smiled, looking in the bag. The gift had been wrapped in pink paper with little white hearts and an elegant gold bow.

Harrison looked unconvinced, "Perhaps I should take you to the doctor."

"I've already seen a doctor and he said it's just exhaustion and to rest when I can," Kendall told him.

"If you're sure?"

"I am, thanks for caring though," Kendall smiled.

"No need to thank me sir, I'm quite fond of all of you. You remind me of my brothers and I growing up," the older man said as he started the car.

"We like you too Harrison," Kendall said.

Harrison smiled as he pulled out, "Perhaps you should rest until I get you home."

"Mmhmm," Kendall murmured. His eyes were already closed and he was half asleep.

Harrison glanced at the boy in the rearview mirror and decided he would try and have a word with Ms. Wainwright. He knew she would not be happy that Kendall was being worked so hard and could possibly intervene on his behalf.

James decided to hang out at the pool and try to get some sun before Kendall got home. He read a magazine for a little while and then put in his earbuds to listen to some music. After some time he checked his phone and saw that it was over half an hour since he'd spoken to Kendall. "He should be home by now," he said to himself.

"Who?" Guitar Dude asked.

James jumped, he hadn't realized that the other boy had sat down next to him. "Uh, Kendall. He had to work and we were going to hang out, maybe go to a movie when he gets home."

Guitar Dude grinned, "Maybe he's with that Jo look-alike he was making out with yesterday."

"What Jo look-alike," James asked.

"I don't know. Kendall said it was Griffin's new assistant."

James' heart sank a little. Kendall hadn't mentioned that Jessica looked like Jo. "He said that SHE kissed him."

Guitar Dude shrugged, "Looked like they were both having a good time to me. Why is it important?"

"It's not...I just don't want him getting hurt again. He seemed upset about her yesterday and I'm probably just worrying for nothing," James said carefully.

"Maybe they made up," Guitar Dude suggested.

James gave him a small smile, "I think I'm going to head back upstairs."

"See ya later!" Guitar Dude smiled as he started strumming on his guitar.

"Yeah," James said as he grabbed his things and started for the lobby.

It was nearly an hour later when they pulled up in front of the Palmwoods, having hit rush hour traffic. Harrison parked and turned and looked back at Kendall who was sound asleep. "Mr. Kendall, we're home." Not getting a response he got out and opened the rear passenger's door. He gently shook Kendall's shoulder, "Sir, we're home."

Kendall's eyes shot open and he pushed himself back away from Harrison, "W-What!?"

Harrison held his hands up," It's just me sir. We're at the Palmwoods."

Kendall blinked a couple of times and looked at Harrison, "S-Sorry, bad dream."

"It's alright, do you need help going up?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you," Kendall smiled.

Harrison smiled back and stood up, holding the door as Kendall got out.

"Ow," Kendall groaned holding his lower right side.

"Are you certain you're alright?"

"Yeah, I must have slept wrong," Kendall said.

Harrison reached in and grabbed the white shopping bag and handed it to Kendall, "You don't want to forget this."

Kendall smiled gratefully, "No I don't. Thanks for all your help."

"You're quite welcome sir. I hope that you feel better soon."

"I'm sure I will," Kendall said, giving him a smile.

"I'll see you and the other boys tomorrow at ten," Harrison said as he closed the door.

"Oh yeah," Kendall sighed.

"If you're ill stay home. Mr. Griffin will simply have to understand," Harrison said.

Kendall arched an eyebrow at him, "Have you EVER known Griffin to be understanding?"

"No, I suppose not. At least get some rest tonight, sir."

Kendall smiled, "I will...and it's Kendall."

Harrison smirked and then it was gone so quickly that Kendall wasn't sure he'd actually seen it. "Yes SIR."

Kendall shook his head and laughed, "Goodnight Harrison."

"Goodnight Mr. Kendall," the older man chuckled.

Kendall shook his head as he headed inside. He walked to the elevators and groaned again, his hip was really bothering him and he realized he was actually favoring his right leg. "Great, this is all I need."

The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. "Hey dude, how are you feeling? Anymore dates with the hot blonde?" Guitar Dude asked.

Kendall sighed, he really wasn't in the mood to banter facts with his obtuse friend. "It wasn't a date, she gave me a ride home because Griffin needed his driver."

"She sure looked like she liked you, is that something for her?" Guitar Dude asked, nodding at the fancy bag.

"No, and the feeling is not mutual. I'll see you later, " Kendall told him as the doors opened onto the second floor.

"Later dude," the older teen smiled.

Kendall realized that he needed to hide the bag, so he pulled off his jacket and tucked the bag up inside it and then the jacket under his arm. he walked down the hallway to 2J and forced himself to stop limping. "A hot shower will help," he said to himself as he reached the front door.

He unlocked the door and went in, smiling when he saw James sitting on the couch. "Hey Jamie!"

James looked over at him and Kendall could immediately tell something was off. "Where were you?"

"At work, why?" Kendall asked.

"It's been over an hour since I called, why did it take you so long to get home?" James asked standing. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at his boyfriend.

"Harrison had to make a stop. I fell asleep but I'm guessing traffic was bad because it's that time of day," Kendall said, baffled by James' demeanor.

"You're sure it was Harrison that brought you home?"

"Yes, why?" Kendall asked, not liking the implications.

"Oh, I don't know. It's just that Guitar Dude said you looked pretty cozy with Jessica yesterday, so I thought maybe she brought you home again," James snapped.

"Are you serious!? I already told you what happened!"

"Yes, but did you tell me everything?" James asked in a knowing tone.

"Yes, I did. But if you want to take the word of someone who walks around half-stoned all the time over that of your best friend and boyfriend, who's NEVER lied to you... then I don't even know. I'm going up and jump in the shower and then lie down for awhile. If you still want to go out, wake me up," Kendall said angrily as he headed for the stairs.

James grabbed his arm, "I'm not done."

"Well I am," Kendall said, pulling away and starting up the stairs.

"We need to talk about this!" James yelled after him.

"Go talk to Guitar Dude!" Kendall yelled back. He grabbed the railing as a sharp pain went through him but continued upstairs. He went into his bedroom and tossed his jacket onto the bed and opened the closet door. He hid the bag in one of his duffel bags on his side of the closet, making sure to zip it up. He slammed the door closed and went to the dresser and grabbed some sweats and headed into the bathroom.

He turned on the water in the shower and peeled off his clothes, wincing as his jeans rubbed against his hip. He opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the Tylenol and took two. He stared at his reflection for a moment and shook his head and turned away. He climbed into the shower and adjusted the water. He was still cold and let the warm water flow over him for a few minutes before scrubbing up. He rinsed off and stood there for another few minutes trying to figure out what was going on with James. He was still angry, but mostly hurt that James could think that anything would be going on between him and Jessica. He choked back a sob as he turned off the water and wrapped a towel around himself, refusing to let any tears fall.

James sat down on the couch and huffed angrily. He thought back to the other night when he'd found the lip gloss in Kendall's hair and then to his conversation with Guitar Dude. He was terrified that his worst nightmare was coming true, that Kendall would fall in love with another girl and realize he'd made a mistake by choosing James.

Everyone thought that James was self-confident and so sure of himself. They also thought he was shallow and self-absorbed, but they couldn't be more wrong. He was afraid. Afraid of finding someone to love and to have them realize that he wasn't good enough for them. Why wouldn't they? His dad had left his mom after fifteen years of marriage. Had found someone younger, someone that he thought was better than Brooke, when in all honesty, Brooke was amazing. She was so beautiful and strong, but James had been there listening as she cried herself to sleep late at night. Had heard her as she called herself worthless and unlovable, had seen her forgo any new relationships to concentrate on her business, something she knew she could control.

He drew a ragged breath, trying not to cry. He had to make this right, to make this work. He loved Kendall with all his heart, and as much as he loved his mother, he didn't want to live his life alone.

He remembered all the lies his dad had told his mom, his dismissive attitude, his defensive behaviour. Kendall wasn't acting like that, he was honest when he asked him about the lip gloss, and Guitar Dude WAS always half-baked and probably misread the situation. Kendall only got defensive when James had basically called him a liar. James groaned, "I'm such an idiot!"

He could hear the water running so he decided to give Kendall some time before going up and trying to talk to him again. He only hoped that Kendall would speak to him.

Kendall dried off and pulled on his sweats. His hip was really bothering him so he tried to look at it in the mirror but couldn't really see much. He couldn't even remember falling against the desk and was getting very frustrated with his spotty memory. "Maybe I'll ask Logan when he gets home," he said to himself.

He ran his fingers through his hair and opened the bathroom door, half expecting to see James standing there. He wasn't sure if he were more relieved or disappointed to find the hallway empty. He went to their bedroom to find it empty as well and wondered if he should go back downstairs to try and talk to him. He sat down on James' bed trying to find the energy to do that when he decided that he should probably rest first. He was feeling lightheaded again and everything hurt so much. He lay back against the pillows and was soon fast asleep.

After about twenty minutes James worked up the courage to go upstairs. He found Kendall sleeping on his bed, curled up on his left side. Kendall was so tired and James knew he still didn't feel well and he had to go and make it worse. He grabbed a blanket from Kendall's bed and covered the other boy. He sat down next to him and smiled sadly as he gently ran his fingers through the still damp blond locks. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he reached down and kissed Kendall on the forehead.

Kendall didn't wake but wrapped his arms around James' waist, pulling himself closer to the brunet. James carefully put his arm around Kendall's shoulders and sat back against the headboard. "We need time off and we need time together, if you even still want to be with me," James said quietly.

"I do but right now I just want to sleep," Kendall mumbled.

James jumped a little and a ghost of a smile appeared on Kendall's lips. James smiled in relief and pulled Kendall a little closer. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I just kind of freaked out when Guitar Dude said that Jessica looks like Jo."

"She doesn't look like Jo," Kendall said.

"He said she was a Jo look-alike."

"James, she's blonde and has brown eyes but that's it. Even if she DID look like Jo, that wouldn't be something in her favour," Kendall said.

"I guess I'm just scared," James admitted.

Kendall opened his eyes and looked up at him, "Why?"

"She was your first love. They say you never really get over your first love," James said.

Kendall gave him a small smile, "That's true, you never do."

"See?" James sighed.

"James, YOU were my first love."

"What? Really? Wait, how?" James stammered.

Kendall rolled his eyes, "You, Carlos, Logan...you were ALL the first people I loved outside of my family and there's no way I could make it without you."

"That's not really what that means," James said.

"That's what it means to me, who says your first love has to be romantic? You guys have always been there for me, always stood by me, and that's what's important. I love you, I always have and I always will."

James looked at him and couldn't find the words to reply.

Kendall sat up a little, "That includes trust though, James. I trust you with everything I have, including my heart. You have got to trust me too or this won't work."

James looked down, "I do. I'm just...scared."

"I'm scared too, but I'd never do anything to hurt you. You're my family, my life, and it hurts to think that you think I could do something like that."

"I know, I'm just worried that we're going to end up like my parents," James said.

"We won't...as long as you quit pushing me away. You put up these barriers like your mom does and you both deserve better. WE deserve better," Kendall told him.

James gave him a sheepish smile, "You've been paying attention."

"I will always pay attention and I'll always be there for you," Kendall promised.

"I'll always be there for you too," James said.

"Good, now can I sleep a little?"

"Yes, and I'll be here when you wake up," James laughed.

"Good," Kendall said as he snuggled up to James and closed his eyes again.


	9. Chapter 9

He could hear people talking, but couldn't open his eyes or move. There were strange noises in the background and he couldn't figure out what they were. He felt a chill and then a stabbing pain in his hip. A moment later an unnatural pressure was there, seemingly trying to push right through his side. The pressure stopped and was replaced with an excruciating pain and when he tried to pull away, someone held him down. Kendall tried to scream but no sound came out and he let the darkness pull him back.

Kendall woke with a start. He blinked, trying to clear his vision and realized he was home and safe. He looked at James who had fallen asleep holding him, and was relieved he hadn't woken him.

James sensed a slight movement and opened one eye, "Are you awake?"

"Sort of," Kendall yawned.

"Are you okay?"

"Bad dream," Kendall mumbled as he curled up closer to James.

"What was it about?"

"Don't really remember," Kendall said.

"Maybe we should just stay in," James said, concerned that Kendall was overtired.

"No, I want to go out Jamie. It's not like going to a movie is work or anything," Kendall said.

"That's true, but you can't fall asleep on me in the theater," James smiled.

"I won't. What time is it?" Kendall asked.

James looked over at the clock on the night table, "Almost seven. I thought we could go see the new X-Men movie, it starts at 7:30."

"That sounds good," Kendall smiled.

"We can stop and grab something to eat on the way home," James said.

Kendall nodded and sat up. He bit his lip as he moved, his hip was getting really painful.

James noticed the look on Kendall's face, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I hit my hip on the corner of the desk and now I'm stiff from sleeping in a different position."

"Are you sure?" James asked, watching him closely.

"Yes, James don't worry so much. I'm going to change so we can go," Kendall said as he got up. He went to the closet and grabbed his black and white plaid shirt and then got a pair of black jeans and a blue t-shirt from the dresser. He opened the bedroom door and started out.

"Where are you going?" James asked as he straightened his bed.

"I need Tylenol and to brush my teeth so I was going to change in the bathroom," Kendall told him.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Yes, I feel fine but I'm still a little sore," Kendall said reassuringly.

"Okay, I'm going to change too so I'll meet you downstairs," James smiled.

"Okay," Kendall smiled back.

James watched as Kendall started down the hallway, relieved that he had forgiven him, but worried because Kendall was still so tired. He also seemed more pale, if that were possible, and the dark circles under his eyes were getting more prominent.

James grabbed a fresh shirt from the closet, debating on whether he should call Mrs. Knight and let her know what was going on. He dressed and headed downstairs dialing Mrs. Knight's number, it rang twice and then went to voicemail.

He went into the living room and spoke in a hushed voice, "Hi Mrs. Knight, I just wanted to talk to you about Kendall. He's been sick and the doctor said it's just exhaustion and that he's anemic, so he sent home some pills for him but he's still so tired and I was wondering if there was something else I should be doing to help out? If you could call and let me know but NOT tell Kendall because you know how he is and he'll just say he's fine and he's coming downstairs so I'll talk to you later, bye!" James rushed out and quickly hung up and put his phone in his pocket.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Kendall asked, pulling on his jacket.

"You bet," James smiled as he put his arm around Kendall's shoulders. "Look, about earlier...I'm really sorry."

Kendall smiled, "James, I know you are and hopefully next week we can all just chill and have some fun. I think we all need it."

James kissed him, "Yes we do, and I am looking forward to that drive up the coast."

"Me too," Kendall said, kissing him back.

The home phone rang and Kendall glanced at the caller ID and groaned. "What does HE want?"

"Who?"

"Griffin...hello," Kendall answered.

"Kendall, I forgot to tell you that I need you to dress like the boy next door tomorrow," Griffin said.

"What does that mean exactly?"

"You know, a nice shirt and maybe one of those sweaters you wear sometimes," Griffin said.

"Why do you want me to dress like that?" Kendall asked.

"Because the oversees investors need to see that you're the ideal American teen. Clean cut, modestly dressed, and polite."

Kendall rolled his eyes, "Fine, anything else?"

"No, that's all I need... for now," Griffin said and hung up.

Kendall shivered and hung up.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"Griffin's just so...creepy sometimes," Kendall said.

"Duh, why now?"

"He said to dress like the boy next door. He wants the investors to see me as the 'ideal American teen'," Kendall said using air quotes.

James smirked as he pulled Kendall close and kissed him again. "Well, you seem pretty ideal to me."

"Really? Could you be an cheesier?" Kendall laughed.

"I don't know, give me a minute," James smirked.

"You need to stop trying so hard, I forgive you. We're going to miss the movie if we don't go," Kendall said pulling back.

"Raincheck?" James asked.

"Isn't that what the trip up the coast is for?"

James pushed out his lower lip, "But that's a week away."

"Well we don't have to leave until ten tomorrow, so maybe a SMALL raincheck," Kendall smiled, pulling James toward the door.

"I'm good with that," James said. They separated as they walked out the door and a few minutes later they were on their way across town to the movie theatres.

"So...you're still okay with waiting, right?" Kendall asked.

"Of course, I don't think we should rush anything. Why?"

"Just checking," Kendall smiled.

James looked over at him and squeezed his hand, "We BOTH have to be ready and I know you're not."

"Are you?"

"Well, it's not like I haven't done stuff and it's definitely fun, but I'm not really ready either," James said.

"Oh really...what kind of 'stuff' have you done and with who?" Kendall asked, trying to keep a serious look on his face.

"Uh, well...you know that thing we were taking about earlier?"

"Yes."

"Done that," James said quickly.

"Giving or getting?" Kendall asked, trying not to laugh at the flustered look on James' face.

"Ummm, both?"

"Are you asking me?" Kendall smirked.

"Very funny," James said, realizing what his blond was up to. "What about you?"

"Nope," Kendall said simply.

"Nothing at all?" James asked.

"Well Jo and I fooled around a little, but we never did anything like that. We hadn't really been dating very long when she went to New Zealand."

"That's true. Still..." James said.

"Still what?"

"The truth?" James asked.

"Always."

"I kinda pegged her as someone who'd use sex to get what she wanted," James said.

"She is," Kendall said.

"What does that mean?"

"Just because she wanted something doesn't mean I was ready to give it. Besides, her dad being in the CIA always made me think twice about everything," Kendall told him.

"That's true," James agreed. He looked over at Kendall and arched an eyebrow, "So...were you interested in trying things?"

"I don't know, I guess it depends on what you mean by 'things'," Kendall said.

"Well, next week we can always try the thing that we were taking about earlier."

"What do you mean by 'try'? I thought you knew how to do it?" Kendall asked, still trying to remain serious.

James rolled his eyes, "I MEAN, I can teach you how to do it."

"Oh...how does one 'teach' that?" Kendall smirked.

James pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine and leaned close to Kendall. "By example," he whispered, blowing into Kendall's ear.

Kendall shivered and looked at him, "I think I approve of your teaching methods."

"Good, now we better get in there or we're going to miss the first part," James said looking at his watch.

"Fine," Kendall said as he got out.

"You wanted to see a movie," James pointed out.

"You didn't say there was another option," Kendall said.

"Just so you know...there's ALWAYS that option," James laughed.

"You think you're SO funny," Kendall said as they went inside.

Copen was in his office going over the notes from the lab trying to figure out what could be causing the sudden onset of anemia in Kendall. The slides showed a low platelet count of approximately 90,000 and his hematocrit was at 32%.

He'd already called the lab and asked them what the actual measurements of the components were and found that they were varying them in order to determine what dosage would be optimal. He also found out that they were using Curcumin as a filler agent and told them that they needed to replace it with a placebo filler.

He didn't find anything with the main components and was going through the list minor components and building blocks when thought he recognized one of the ingredients. He pulled out his PDR and started sifting through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "Idiots!" he hissed as he grabbed the phone.

After arguing with the head lab technician for half an hour, Copen went down the hallway to Griffin's office and didn't wait for the receptionist to wave him in. He saw Griffin sitting at his desk as he went over to the mini fridge and pulled out all of the bottles of water, juice, soda, and ice tea and started pouring them down the sink.

"What do you think you're doing?" Griffin asked.

"Getting rid of these, they're toxic," Copen said.

"In what way?"

"In the someone will die if they continue drinking these way," Copen snapped.

"Explain now," Griffin ordered, watching the man with a slight look of amusement on his face.

"Your so-called 'experts' are using, not only Curcumin as a filler, but they are also using 4- hydroxycoumarin which is one of the key ingredients in warfarin sodium," Copen told him as he poured out the last of the ice tea.

"And this is bad why?"

Copen turned and looked at Griffin, "Because warfarin sodium is the key component in Coumadin which is an anti-coagulant. Your genius lab team has been using it as the base of the building block, and I suspect that it's reacting with the Curcumin, which is a natural anti-coagulant. They've been mixing it in varying levels to decide which of the components is increasing the Twilight anxiolysis that you're after."

"So?" Griffin asked.

"So...it's an inexpensive short-cut that they're taking that WILL kill someone. Neither the 4- hydroxycoumarin nor the curcumin has anything to do with anesthesia, they're using them as fillers."

"Tell them to change it then," Griffin said going back to his computer.

"I did and they are. I also told them to dispose of what they've already made. They'll be sending me the work-up sheets and the new compound, which I WILL be checking out before reconstituting. Once I determine it's safe, I'll administer the proper dosages to the bottles," Copen said.

"As long as it's by tomorrow," Griffin said, not looking up.

Copen decided to try and reason with the CEO again, "Griffin, some damage has already been done and we don't know if it's permanent. You should just abandon this project and go through proper channels before something worse DOES happen."

"We will be going through proper channels, eventually. You know as well as I do that it takes years to get a new drug verified through the FDA and that the cost is exorbitant," Griffin said, finally looking at the other man.

"So? It's not like you can't afford it."

"I'm in the business of making money, not spending it on some bureaucratic nonsense. Testing it now will save time and millions of dollars."

Copen shook his head, "Then ask for volunteers. Legal, ADULT volunteers."

"Why do that when I have several perfectly healthy people that make the perfect test subjects?" Griffin asked.

"Griffin..." Copen started.

"Enough! You have the answers you were looking for and I'm allowing you to make the changes you want, that is ALL I'm giving you," Griffin snapped.

Copen sighed in defeat, "Fine, I'll let you know when I've checked the other compound."

"Just have it ready by tomorrow morning," Griffin ordered as he went back to his computer.

"It's going to take at least twenty-four hours for them to put it all together, so you're going to have to wait at least that long," Copen said.

"Fine, tomorrow we'll concentrate on meeting with the investors. Have it ready by Wednesday, no more excuses. Now get out!" Griffin said angrily.

As soon as Copen left Griffin picked up the phone and called the lab and ordered them to work through the night, if need be, to have the drug ready by morning. The technician agreed and Griffin smiled as he hung up the phone.

Copen shook his head as he walked out. He headed back to his office and quickly typed up his findings and sent them to his own email to put with the other records. He put the papers he'd received from the lab into his briefcase and locked up his office and headed home.

The movie got out at about 9:45 and James was amazed that Kendall had managed to stay awake for the whole thing. They walked back to the car and Kendall shivered a little in the chilly night air. James wished he could put his arm around him to keep him warm, but knew he couldn't risk it. He pulled off his own jacket and handed it to Kendall, "Here put this on over yours, we don't need you catching cold on top of everything."

Kendall smiled, "Thanks James."

"Anytime," James smiled back.

"So where did you want to eat?" Kendall asked as they got into the car. He bit his lip as he tried to get comfortable, his hip had been bothering him all evening and it seemed to be getting worse. He glanced at his boyfriend and was glad that James hadn't noticed.

"Anyplace is fine with me," James said, relieved that Kendall seemed to have an appetite. They'd eaten a bucket of popcorn and a package of licorice whips at the movie, but they needed something substantial.

"That's helpful," Kendall teased.

James laughed, "What about burgers?"

"That sounds good," Kendall said.

"Applebee's?"

"Sure, they've got good burgers there," Kendall said, lying his head back against the headrest.

"Are you okay," James asked.

"James, I'm fine. Just a little tired is all," Kendall said.

"Okay...sorry."

"Don't be sorry, I like that you actually care," Kendall said softly.

"I do care," James smiled.

"I know Jamie, but you need to relax," Kendall said patting his arm.

"That's easier said than done. I hate when any of you is sick, especially you," James admitted.

"I know you do and we appreciate it, but I'm feeling a lot better," Kendall said.

"Good, because next week is going to be a blast!" James grinned as he pulled into Applebee's parking lot.

"Yes it is," Kendall agreed.

They went in and since it was later and the dinner crowd had cleared out, were seated immediately. After looking at the menu they ordered and the waitress smiled at James, "Aren't you James from Big Time Rush?"

James smiled back, "Yes I am, this is Kendall."

She glanced at Kendall and smiled, "I have your CD and I got to see you perform at Rocktober Fest. Do you think I could get your autograph?"

"Of course, always happy to meet a fan!" James said flashing her a dazzling smile.

She smiled and handed him a notepad and he looked at her name tag, "To Becca, Thanks for being such a great fan! Love always, James Diamond."

"Thank you SO much! I'll have the cook put a rush on your orders," she smiled.

"We're in no hurry," James said.

"I'll bring your drinks right out," she said, smiling again as she tucked the notepad safely into her apron and went to place their orders.

Kendall tapped James' leg with his foot and smiled. "Should I be worried?"

"Very funny," James said taking a sip of water.

Kendal laughed softly, "We should probably get an order of wonton tacos for Carlos. He'll never forgive us if we came here and didn't bring him any."

"Probably...we should get the artichoke dip for Logan too," James said.

Kendall nodded and then wiggled his eyebrows at James, "You can tell your girlfriend when she brings our drinks, I'm going to run to the restroom."

James rolled his eyes, "Very funny!"

"You said that already," Kendall smirked as he got up.

James stuck his tongue out and Kendall laughed as he walked away. The drinks were at the table by the time Kendall got back and their meals were brought just a few minutes later. About halfway through Kendall started feeling queasy and pushed his plate away.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"Just full," Kendall said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we had all that popcorn at the movie and I'm stuffed," Kendall smiled.

"Okay, but if you start feeling sick let me know and we'll go," James told him.

"I'm fine, finish your dinner," Kendall said.

"Good, because I'm starving," James said, taking another bite of his burger.

Becca returned a few minutes later with their take-out order, a box for the rest of Kendall's dinner, and the bill. "I'll be your cashier when you're ready."

"Thank you," James smiled and she blushed as she took the next table their bill.

Kendall grabbed the bill before James could get it, "My treat."

James grinned, "Dessert's on me then."

"We didn't have dessert," Kendall said, pulling out his wallet.

"Not yet," James smirked.

Kendall rolled his eyes and suppressed a laugh as he pulled out his debit card. He picked up a small piece of paper that fell out and looked at it, "Seriously!?"

"What's wrong?" James asked.

Kendall shook his head as he handed the paper to James, "She just doesn't know when to quit."

James read it, "Kenny, here's my cell number, call me! Jessi ***-****". Jessi was spelled with an 'I' and dotted with a little heart.

"I'm talking to her," Jame said through clenched teeth.

"James, no. She's Griffin's personal assistant and we don't need any trouble with him," Kendall said.

"Who does she think she is...and how did she get this into your wallet?" James asked.

"It must have been when I went to see the doctor. My wallet was in my jacket which I guess I left in Griffin's office," Kendall said.

"Why did you go see the doctor again?" James asked, wondering why Kendall hadn't mentioned it earlier.

Kendall thought back trying to remember everything, "He just wanted to see how I was doing and said something about other tests if I'm not feeling better...which I am."

James huffed angrily, "She's crossing some major lines Kendall. She needs to stop."

"I know, I'll talk to her tomorrow," Kendall promised.

James pulled out his phone, "I think I'll call her now."

"No, James don't!"

"Why not?" James asked.

"If you call her from your cell then she'll have YOUR number. Do you really want that?" Kendall asked, trying to reason with the angry brunet.

"No, but..."

"You're the one she has a crush on and she's probably just trying to use me to get to you," Kendall said.

"Then why didn't she just come upstairs with you yesterday?" James asked.

"Because I wouldn't let her," Kendall said.

They stopped talking as Becca came back to the table and Kendall handed her the bill and his debit card. She smiled, "I'll be right back with your receipt."

"Thank you," Kendall said giving her a small smile.

James took a deep breath, trying to calm down, "If she doesn't stop I WILL be going to see her and Griffin."

"And tell them what? That you're mad because she's hitting on your boyfriend?" Kendall whispered.

"This sucks," James sighed.

"I know, but we knew this wasn't going to be easy," Kendall said softly.

"I know," James said.

Becca came back and handed Kendall his card and the receipt. He signed it and handed it back to her, "Thanks," he smiled.

"Could I get your autograph too? I didn't mean to ignore you earlier, it's just..."

"Trust me, I understand," Kendall laughed as he signed her notepad.

"Thank you! You guys come back soon, okay?"

"We will," James said as he stood up.

Kendall handed him his jacket and grabbed the bag with their food, "Thank you again."

"You're welcome," she smiled as she started to clear their table.

Kendall and James walked to the car in silence and started back for the Palmwoods. Kendall looked at James and could tell he was still upset. "James...are you regretting this?" Kendall asked quietly, pointing to James and then himself.

"What? No! I'm sorry, I know I'm just being stupid. It's just that I hate not being able to say or do anything. Are you?"

"Never," Kendall said squeezing his hand.

"Good," James said as he pulled Kendall's hand up and kissed it.

Kendall smiled and intertwined his fingers with James' and they rode home in a content silence. Kendall untangled their hands as they pulled into the Palmwoods parking lot and James parked. Kendall grabbed the bags and they got out and went inside.

"I need to work off some of that food, how about we take the stairs?" James suggested.

"Go for it," Kendall said as he pushed the call button for the elevator.

"You're going to make me walk up alone?" James asked with a small pout.

"Yes, I'm tired," Kendall said.

"Let's see who gets to the apartment first," James suggested.

"Are you serious?" Kendall laughed.

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"You have to wait for the doors to open then," Kendall said.

James gave him a thumbs up, and Kendall shook his head. The minute the elevator doors started opening James took off for the stairs. Kendall shook his head again, getting in the elevator. He pushed the button for the second floor and the doors opened a couple of minutes later. He got out and walked down the hallway to 2J and was nearly there as James came racing down the corridor and ran past him.

"I win!" James said, tapping the door to their apartment.

Kendall rolled his eyes, "I was walking and you were running."

"Never said I couldn't run," James smirked as he unlocked the front door and held it open.

Kendall decided to let him have this one, "Fine, we'll have a rematch when I'm not tired."

'You're on!"

"Next time I'm going to make sure the stairwell door is locked," Kendall thought to himself.

They went in and Carlos looked over, "I smell food!"

Kendall smiled, "We brought you a snack."

"Thanks guys! " Carlos smiled as James handed him the container.

"I think I'm going to head up to bed," Kendall said as he put Logan's food in the fridge.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, it's just been a long day," Kendall yawned.

"I'll be up in a few," James said.

Kendall nodded, "Night Carlos."

"Night buddy, feel better."

Kendall smiled as he headed upstairs.

"How's he really doing?" Carlos asked James.

"He seems better today, just tired. He made it through a movie and dinner without falling asleep or getting sick," James told him.

"That's good then. So what's bugging you?" Carlos asked.

James sighed, "We were at dinner and a note from that Jessica fell out of his wallet. She won't back off and Kendall won't let me talk to her about it."

"That's probably a good thing, you don't want to slip up and have Griffin find out that you guys are together," Carlos pointed out.

"I know. It's just...irritating," James said.

"I know it is, but Kendall loves you and you need to trust and let him handle this," Carlos said.

"I know I do, but if she doesn't knock it off I AM going down there."

"Give it a little time. If Kendall needs anyone to handle it, Logan and I will take care of it," Carlos promised.

James smiled, "Okay, thanks buddy."

"Anytime," Carlos said.

"I'm going to head up to bed too. Remember we have to be ready to go by ten," James said as he headed for the stairs.

Carlos nodded as he popped a taco in his mouth," Night buddy."

James went upstairs to the bathroom and washed his face and brushed his teeth. He went to his and Kendall's room and found his boyfriend already in bed, his eyes closed. He quickly changed into pajamas and tapped Kendall on the shoulder, "Did you want some company?"

Kendall smiled, not opening his eyes, "Always."

James slid in next to Kendall and rolled onto his left side, watching the other boy. He smiled as he started running his fingers through the blond hair, "Raincheck?"

Kendall opened one eye and looked at James, "SMALL raincheck."

"I'm good with that," James said, pulling Kendall into a kiss. He ran his tongue along the other boy's lower lip and Kendall allowed him access. James deepened the kiss and ran his hand over Kendall's abdomen, pulling him closer.

Kendall wrapped his arms around James' neck and then tangled his fingers in the soft brown locks. They kissed for a few minutes and then James' lips moved along Kendall's jawline and then to the sensitive spot on his neck.

"Jamie," Kendall moaned.

"Yes, love," James hummed into the crook of his neck.

"I love you so much," Kendall said.

"I love you too," James said, continuing to place little nibbles along Kendall's neck. Kendall's breathing picked up and James resisted the urge to go further. He pulled off and propped himself up on one elbow.

"Why'd you stop?"

"No marks, remember?" James said sadly.

Kendall pouted, "Next week?"

"Definitely next week," James grinned. He reached down and kissed Kendall again, putting his hand on his hip and pulling him closer.

"Ow," Kendall yelped, pushing James' hand away.

"What's wrong?"

"That's where I hit my hip," Kendall said.

"Let me see."

"James it's fine, just sore," Kendall told him.

James arched an eyebrow, "Let me see."

"I'm sure it's just a bruise," Kendall told him.

James tugged at the pajama pants until they were a little past Kendall's hip. "Oh my God, how hard did you hit it?"

"I don't know, why?" Kendall asked.

"Because you're really black and blue," James told him, gently poking the bruise with his finger.

"Ow, stop doing that!" Kendall said, swatting at James' hand.

"It looks worse than when I bruised my ribs that time my skateboard flipped off the curb," James said getting up.

"Where are you going?"

"To get an icepack, have you taken anything for the pain?" James asked.

"I took some Tylenol a few minutes ago," Kendall said.

"I'll be right back," James said heading own to the kitchen. He grabbed one of the soft ice packs from the freezer and went back upstairs.

He sat down next to Kendall and gently lay the ice pack on his hip. "James I'm fine and this is cold!"

"You know ice will help with the bruising," James said.

"Still cold and I thought we were having fun," Kendall pouted.

"No reason why we can't do both, I'll keep you warm," James smirked as got back into bed. He rolled onto his right side, facing Kendall and pulled him close, pushing a leg in-between the other boy's so that Kendall's right leg was resting over his left. he wrapped his right arm around Kendall's shoulders, and his left hand held the ice pack in place.

"This is a little awkward, don't you think?" Kendall asked.

"Not at all," James smiled as he reached over and kissed him. He ran his tongue along Kendall's lower lip but he didn't open his mouth. James tried again, but still no response, so he pulled back a little to look at his boyfriend.

"Still cold," Kendall smirked.

"Oh really?" James asked.

"Yup."

"Let's try this then," James said as he attached his lips to Kendall's neck and then ran his tongue up to his ear. He pushed his leg up further between Kendall's as he stuck his tongue in the other boy's ear.

Kendall squealed, "James gross! You know I hate that!"

James immediately kissed him, his tongue exploring the moist cavern. "How about this then?" James asked, kissing him again and not giving him a chance to answer. Kendall moaned as James' knee brushed against his crotch and James smiled triumphantly into the kiss.

Kendall wasn't going to let James get away with it though, and ran his hands down his boyfriend's back and squeezed his butt. James squeaked in surprise and Kendall pulled away, smirking. "You tell me."

"Umm, I think we should stop now before we can't," James said, suddenly flustered.

"I win," Kendall grinned rolling onto his back. He yelped at the sudden sharp pain and immediately rolled back onto his side.

"You're going to the doctor," James said.

"I already SAW the doctor, remember?"

"Kendy, I can't take it when you're hurt or sick. Please babe?" James asked, taking Kendall's face in his hands.

Kendall looked into those warm hazel eyes and saw the love and fear there. He sighed, "Alright, I'll go back and see the doctor tomorrow. okay?"

James smiled and kissed him gently, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, but all he's going to say is to take Tylenol and ice it," Kendall said.

James put his arms around Kendall and pulled him over so that his head was resting on his chest. James tucked his chin over Kendall's head and held him close. "Then that will make me happy."

Kendall smiled as he snuggled up closer to James, "You make me happy."

"Who's being cheesy now?" James laughed as he reached over and turned off the lamp.

Kendall woke up at about two, feeling achy and with another headache. He managed to slip out of bed without waking James and went to the bathroom to get some Tylenol. He was halfway down the hallway when his stomach started doing flip flops and he bolted for the bathroom. He got there just in time and threw up his dinner. When his stomach was finally empty he stood at the sink and rinsed his mouth. His head felt like it was ready to explode and his hip felt like it was on fire. He opened the cabinet and took two Tylenol, swallowing them with a little water. He felt like he was going to throw up again so he sat down next to the toilet, leaning his head back against the cool side of the tub. A few minutes later he curled up on the bathmat and fell asleep.

Logan woke up about three, needing to use the bathroom. He walked sleepily down the hallway and opened the bathroom door. As he reached for the light switch and realized the light was already on. He saw Kendall lying on the floor and was instantly awake. He quickly moved to his friend's side, "Kendall, can you hear me?"

"Hmm?" Kendall murmured.

"What happened, are you okay?" Logan asked, putting a hand to Kendall's forehead.

"Logie, let me sleep," Kendall mumbled, slapping at his friend's hand.

Logan grabbed his hand, "Kendall, why are you sleeping on the bathroom floor?"

"Huh?"

"Did you get sick?" Logan asked.

Kendall opened his eyes and then shut them again,"Too bright!"

Logan switched on the sink light and turned off the overhead. He grabbed the thermometer and sat down next to his friend. "I'm going to take your temperature so don't smack me," Logan ordered as he put the cone in Kendall's ear. Kendall stayed quiet and twenty seconds later the thermometer beeped. "97.6, not too bad considering you're lying on the floor. Now did you get sick or pass out?" Logan asked.

"I didn't feel well so I sat down for a few minutes, I think I just fell asleep," Kendall said, trying to remember.

"You think?" Logan asked as he started checking Kendall's head for bumps.

"Yes, now stop," Kendall said, sitting up.

Logan sat back and looked at him, "How are you feeling now, and be honest."

"I'm just tired now. I had a headache earlier, but it's better," Kendall said.

"Did you eat today/"

"Yeah, James and I went to Applebee's and had burgers. There's artichoke dip in the fridge for you," Kendall said.

Logan smiled, "Thanks buddy. Did you actually eat your dinner?"

Kendall sighed, "I ate about half but we had a huge bucket of popcorn and licorice at the movie."

"Good, now did you keep your dinner down?"

Kendall thought for a minute, "I threw up a little, then I took Tylenol and thought I was going to throw up again, so I sat down on the floor."

"Where you fell asleep," Logan finished.

Kendall gave him a little smile, "I guess so."

Logan rolled his eyes, "Let's get you off the floor and back to bed." He stood up and held his hand out to his friend.

"Yes mother," Kendall said taking it and starting to get up. He quickly let go and sat back down as a sharp pain went down his leg.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Logan asked.

Kendall bit his lip and fought the wave of nausea that the pain brought. He took a couple of deep breaths, "I hit my hip today and it's really hurting."

"How did you hit it?"

"I guess I hit Griffin's desk. It wasn't as bad earlier, but it feels worse now," Kendall told him.

"Let me see," Logan said.

"James already looked at it and said it's really bruised. I put an icepack on it earlier."

"Good, now let me see it," Logan ordered.

Kendall rolled his eyes but pulled his pajama pants a little past his hip and shifted so Logan could see. He saw Logan start to reach out but shook his head, "Don't touch."

"There's like a weird little spot though," Logan said reaching out again.

"I don't care how weird it is, don't touch," Kendall said.

Logan ignored him and grabbed his hand so he couldn't stop him. "Relax, it's not like I'm poking you with a stick."

He gently ran his finger over the center of the bruise and Kendall hissed, "Logie stop it."

"That hurts?"

"Yes, now stop it," Kendall ordered, pulling his hand away.

"Buddy, I was barely touching you. That bruise looks really bad, let me check your arm," Logan said.

"Why do you want to check my arm?" Kendall asked.

Logan didn't answer, just grabbed his right hand and pushed the sleeve up. The bruise from the day before was still dark and seemed to have spread a little. Logan gently touched it, "Is this feeling any better?"

"Yes, now stop touching me," Kendall demanded.

"Stubborn. Look, if this doesn't get any better you need to get checked out again," Logan said.

"I already told James that I'd go see the doctor tomorrow...today...whichever it is. What time is it?" Kendall asked.

"It's after three," Logan said.

"Why are you up?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe because I needed to use the bathroom," Logan said, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks for waking me up first," Kendall smirked.

"Very funny, let's try getting you off the floor again," Logan said standing up. He held both hands own to Kendall, who took them. Logan braced himself and pulled his taller friend up. He kept ahold of Kendall until he was standing on both feet.

"Thanks Loges, I'm going back to bed."

"Alright, goodnight buddy. If you need me, just have James come and get me" Logan said.

"I will," Kendall promised, giving Logan a smile as he headed out the door. He walked back to his bedroom, favoring his right leg. He took a deep breath before walking in, just in case James happened to be awake. He saw James was still sound asleep and smiled at the sight of his boyfriend still lying on his right side. He quietly went over to the bed and got back in, gently pulling James' arm up and over, so it was resting on his shoulder. He snuggled against James' chest and closed his eyes, smiling when a pair of lips kissed his forehead.

"Are you okay?" James asked.

"I'm fine, bathroom," Kendall yawned.

"Okay," James said, pulling him closer. A few minutes later both boys were sleeping soundly, wrapped in each others arms.

Logan groaned when the alarm went off. He'd had a hard time falling back to sleep after finding Kendall asleep in the bathroom. He knew there was something off with his friend, but he didn't know what and it was driving him crazy. He yawned as he sat up, glancing over at his still snoring friend.

"Carlos, it's time to get up," he said as he climbed out of bed. When Carlos didn't respond he went over and shook him. Carlos just pulled his pillow over his head so Logan decided to jump in the shower before trying to wake him again.

He grabbed some clean clothes and was nearly out the door when he turned back and grabbed his cell. He went into the bathroom and closed the door. He bit his lip trying to decide what to do and then decided to go with his gut. He dialed Mrs. Knight's number and it went to voicemail. He left a message asking her to call him as soon as she had a chance, and then jumped in the shower.

James reached over Kendall and turned off the alarm clock. He smiled at Kendall and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, "Time to wake up."

"Why?" Kendall groaned, pushing his face into James' chest.

"Work," James said.

"I don't like work," Kendall said, his voice muffled.

"I don't mind it," James said trying to untangle himself from his boyfriend.

Kendall held onto him, wrapping his legs around one of James'. "That's because YOU get to go do fun stuff and I'm stuck inside all day listening to a bunch of boring statistics."

"I know, but at least we get next week off," James said, as he managed to unlocking Kendall's legs from around his.

"Can't we call in sick and stay in bed all day?" Kendall asked.

James smiled as he reached down and took Kendall's hands, "As much as I would love that...no. Come on, you need to get ready."

Kendall pouted as James tried to pull him up, "But Jamie, I don't want to go!"

"How old are you?" James laughed.

"How old do I have to be to not go in?"

"You really don't want to go, do you? What's going on?" James asked sitting back down next to the blond.

"I don't know, it's just so boring and I guess I feel uncomfortable," Kendall sighed.

"Why?"

"I just feel out of place and it's like Griffin wants me there just to put me on display," Kendall said.

James smiled, "Well, I can't say I blame him there."

"James..."

"Okay, why does it make you uncomfortable? We perform in front of hundreds of people and that doesn't bother you," James said.

"That's different," Kendall said.

"How?"

"I don't know, it just is! It's hard to explain, maybe because when we're performing it's all of us performing together," Kendall said, frustrated that he couldn't put what was wrong into words.

"Babe calm down, I get it. I wouldn't like it either and I HATE that this is bothering you so much and there's nothing I can do," James said.

"I'm sorry, it's just..." Kendall said.

James put his arm around him, "Look we're only going to be at the mall for a few hours, so I'm going to come pick you up afterwards. Even if the meeting isn't over, you're leaving."

"Griffin will love that."

"I really don't care what he loves, because I love you," James said, kissing Kendall's cheek.

Kendall took a deep breath and smiled, "I'll be okay, I just needed to whine for a few minutes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think it's just because I'm tired and haven't been feeling well. It's just until the end of the week, I'll survive," Kendall said standing up. He went to the closet and grabbed a long-sleeved t-shirt and a hoodie.

"Aren't you suppose to wear a sweater," James asked.

Kendall rolled his eyes and switched the hoodie for a blue cardigan. "This is so stupid," he said getting a pair of jeans from the dresser.

"I know, I'm going to go down and make breakfast while you get ready," James said.

"You don't have to do that."

"I think I can manage scrambled eggs," James smiled

"Cereal's fine you know."

"I may not know a lot about nutrition, but I do know that eggs have protein, which you need," James said giving him a quick peck on the lips and heading downstairs.

Kendall gathered the rest of his clothes and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. Logan came out just as he got there, "Hey buddy, how are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm feeling okay," Kendall smiled.

"Good, I'm going to wake up Carlos so we'll be ready by the time Harrison gets here," Logan said walking back towards his room.

"Good luck with that!" Kendall laughed. When Carlos was awake he was a bundle of energy, always in motion. When he was asleep he was like a hibernating bear.

Kendall quickly showered and changed. He threw his pajamas in the laundry basket and took two Tylenol, he opened the door and found Carlos standing there, still half asleep. He gave Carlos a gentle push, "There you go Los."

Carlos mumbled something as he closed the door. Kendall went downstairs and found James and Logan finishing their breakfast. James got up and took a plate from the microwave and set it on the table, "Eat."

"Thanks James," Kendall smiled.

"Take these," Logan said, handing Kendall his vitamin and an iron pills.

Kendall made a face but swallowed the pills.

"I'm going to jump in the shower," James said.

"Carlos is in our bathroom," Kendall told him.

"Okay, I'll just use the one down here," James said as he went to get his things. He got what he needed and went back downstairs. He started the water and checked his phone as the water warmed up and saw that Mrs. Knight hadn't returned his call yet. "That's weird," he thought. He decided to try again later, thinking that maybe she didn't have cell reception where they were the day before.

Carlos was already downstairs and eating his breakfast by the time James finished getting ready. They all finished up and went downstairs to wait for Harrison.

Harrison arrived at 9:40 and quickly got out to open the door before one of the boys did. "Good morning," he said as he held the door for them.

"Good morning Harrison! This is going to be SO much fun!" Carlos grinned. He was finally awake and his normal sunny disposition was running on high.

"I'm sure it will Mr. Carlos," Harrison smiled as he closed the door. He went around and got into the driver's seat and pulled out. "So, I'm to drop Mr. Kendall off the studio and take the rest on to Fresno. Mr. Griffin said to wait there until you're finished so I can bring you home about four. Then I shall go pick Mr. Kendall up about six, unless the meeting gets out early."

"Like that'll happen," Kendall said sitting back.

"One can never tell sir," he smiled.

"Yeah, maybe you'll be done by the time we get home and we can all go do something," Carlos said.

"Maybe, but somehow I doubt it," Kendall sighed.

They pulled up in front of Rocque Records a few minutes later and Kendall opened the door before Harrison could get out. "I'll see you guys later."

James was seated facing the back of the limo, so he winked and mouthed, "By babe."

Kendall smiled.

"We'll see you later buddy," Logan said.

Kendall nodded and closed the door. He sighed as the limo pulled away and then turned and went inside. Kendall walked to the elevators and hit the 'up' button. The doors opened a few seconds later and he went in, grateful that it was empty. He hit the button for the top floor and as soon as the doors opened walked down the hallway to Griffin's office.

The receptionist waved him in so Kendall knocked lightly on the door before opening it. He saw Griffin sitting at his desk, Jessica standing next to him, he groaned inwardly.

"Kendall, come in. The others will be arriving in just a few minutes," Griffin said looking over at him.

"Good morning," Kendall said with a small smile as he sat in a chair next to the couch.

Griffin looked him up and down, "Good, you remembered to wear what I told you to wear."

"Yeah," Kendall said.

"You look very nice," Jessica smiled.

"Thank you," Kendall said, wishing the others would just show up already.

The door opened and Eileen walked in carrying a small package. She took it to Griffin and whispered something to him. He nodded and said something back and she nodded and left the office.

"I'll be right back," Griffin said and followed Eileen out.

Jessica smiled at Kendall, "Can I get you something?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Kendall said.

"I can see that," she said as she winked at him.

"Okay, we need to talk," Kendall said.

"Sure!" Jessica said, sitting on the couch.

Kendall took a deep breath so he didn't just blurt out something. He didn't like her but didn't want to hurt her feelings either. "Jessica, I'm sure you're a very nice person but I am really not interested. I found your number in my wallet last night, and you crossed the line by going into my personal things."

"I use to slip notes into my ex-boyfriend's wallet, I thought it'd be cute," she said with a slight pout.

"That's just it...WE are not going out," Kendall said pointing to her and then himself.

"We could," she smiled.

Kendall resisted the urge to just walk out. "No, we couldn't. For one thing, my mom would NEVER allow it. Also, and I'm not trying to be mean, but I prefer to date girls my own age."

"I'm not that much older," Jessica said defensively.

"There's enough of a difference that my mom would go ballistic."

"We don't have to tell her," Jessica said reaching over and touching his cheek.

Kendall stood up, "Look, I'm trying to be nice because I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you're not getting it. I DON'T LIKE YOU THAT WAY...so please, just stop it."

"How can you not like me?" Jessica asked.

"I didn't say I didn't like you, I said I don't like you THAT way," Kendall said.

Jessica huffed and sat back, crossing her arms. She glared at him, "Well, I'm sure James will like me."

"Don't bet on it. He's the same age I am and there's no way my mom would let him go out with you either," Kendall said sitting in a chair across the room.

She went to say something but the door opened and Griffin walked back in followed by several other people.

"Everyone, this is Kendall from Big Time Rush," Griffin said, pointing to the teen.

Interpreters spoke in a variety of languages and everyone looked at Kendall. "H-Hi," he said giving a small wave.

"Everyone take a seat so we can get started," Griffin said, sitting at his desk. The interpreters spoke again and everyone took a chair around the table that had been set up. Jessica got up and went over to Griffin's desk, taking a seat next to him. She looked over at Kendall and smiled, but her eyes were cold.

"It's going to be a long day," he said to himself.

The other boys arrived at the new Fresno supermall and the general manager of the complex greeted them. She smiled at them, "I'm Carmen Main and we're so happy you could come!"

"We're so happy we could be here!" Carlos grinned.

"If you'll come with me, I'll take you to where we're setting up," she said, walking to a side door. She pulled out a card and slid it through the reader and the door opened. They followed her inside and she led them to the elevators and slid her card again. the doors opened and they all stepped inside.

"This is amazing," Logan said.

She smiled, "All the latest technology and 375 shops. On the lower level there is a complete arcade, ten screen movie complex, and a climbing wall that's in the center and is two stories high. The top level has the food court with thirty different restaurants AND on the northern side, a planetarium for those who like to look at the stars."

Logan looked like he might faint, "I am SO coming here all the time!"

"We wanted to have something for everyone. Besides the major store chains, we have several locally based shops, as well as kiosks on every level. We have an area set up for your meet and greet on the third level, in-between the food court and planetarium. I thought you might like to take a look around before we get started today," Carmen smiled.

The boys all smiled as they followed her to the tables they had set up for them. There were photos stacked neatly on it, as well as tablets of paper. There was a line of blue tape going clear across the floor, about twenty feet from the table. There were two tall, muscular men standing on either side of the table, who would be keeping things in order once the meet and greet started.

"This is so cool," James said.

"Look at all the places to eat!" Carlos said, pointing over to the food court area.

"We'll be opening in an hour, so feel free to wander and look around. I think some of the restaurants have already started cooking," she said, giving Carlos a smile.

The boys all smiled and took off in different directions. "One hour!" she called after them.

An hour and ten minutes later the boys were sitting at the table as fans waited eagerly to meet them. They signed autographs, took selfies, and chatted happily with everyone. During a lull James wrote a quick text to Kendall, along with a photo he'd taken when they had first started meeting with fans. "This place is amazing and we wish you were here, loads of fans and a lot were disappointed that you couldn't make it. We told them next time and Carmen, the manager, said it's something she'd like us to do again." He hit send and then went back to meeting with fans.

Kendall answered questions through the interpreters for well over three hours before Griffin finally called a lunch break. Jessica smiled at the investors and told them to follow her down the hall to the actual conference room, where lunch was waiting. Kendall stayed where he was, already worn out.

He jumped when Griffin patted him on the back, "You're doing just fine, they love you."

"That's good," Kendall said, giving him a small smile.

"You look tired, why don't you stay here and I'll have lunch sent in?" Griffin suggested.

"That would be great," Kendall said.

"We'll probably be finishing up the meeting in the conference room, so come down after you've had a chance to rest," Griffin smiled.

Kendall nodded, "Okay, thank you."

"No... thank you," Griffin said as he walked out the door.

Kendall pulled out his phone and smiled when he saw the text from James. "I wish I was there too. Ask Logan if it's possible to DIE from boredom." He hit send and smiled at Eileen as she brought in a tray with sandwiches and fruit for him.

"Here you are," she said setting it on the table.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," she said as she went back into the other room. She returned a moment later with a box and went over to the fridge and started filling it with various bottles. "There's plenty to drink here if you get thirsty."

"Thanks," Kendall smiled.

"My pleasure. If you need anything, I'll just be in the other room," she said as she closed the door behind her.

Kendall looked at the tray and sighed. He wasn't very hungry so he pushed the sandwich aside and started eating an apple. He checked the styrofoam cup and while it looked fine, Camille's warning stayed with him. He got up and poured it in the sink and checked the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of water and went and sat back down.

The boys finished up at the mall around three so Logan sent a text to Harrison, who replied that he would be waiting at the rear entrance.

"This was a great success and I can't thank you boys enough," Carmen smiled as they rode the elevator down.

"We had a blast and will definitely be back!" Carlos grinned.

"Yes, there's at least four places he didn't eat at," Logan said, shaking his head.

"Well we would definitely love to have you back, either as patrons, or for another meet and greet. The kids loved it!" Carmen told them.

"We loved it too," James smiled.

"I'm glad, and I'd like to give you these as a personal thank you," she said handing them a small packet.

Carlos looked inside and squealed happily. "Passes to the arcade, climbing wall, and the planetarium!"

"Yes, also two movie passes each, including for Kendall. I'm sorry he wasn't able to be here today and I'd love to meet him. my daughter is a HUGE fan," she said.

"Well, we know he'd love to meet you and your daughter. We'll give you a call so we can set something up," Logan smiled.

"Thank you. You boys have a great day now!"

The boys waved as they got into the limo. "This was an amazing day and she is really nice," Logan said.

"Yeah, she is," James agreed, checking his phone. He shook his head as he read Kendall's text. "Kendall wants to know if it's possible to die from boredom."

"I don't think there's any documented case of that, although I could check," Logan said.

James looked at him and rolled his eyes, "I don't think he was actually serious."

"I miss him. It's not as much fun when all four of us aren't together," Carlos said.

"I know, but we'll have a great time next week," James smiled, patting his friend on the shoulder.

They got back to the Palmwoods about forty-five minutes later and went inside. They went up to 2J and Logan checked the itinerary for the next day while Carlos and James sat down and turned on the TV.

"So tomorrow we leave here at ten and should be at Disneyland by around eleven. We meet with the coordinator and set up at the 'It's a Small World Attraction'. I guess we know what song will be stuck in our heads for the next couple of days."

"I love that song!" Carlos said.

"You would," Logan retorted.

"Then what?" James asked.

"We do a meet and greet with the public for two hours and then a private one inside the attraction with the investor's kids. It says interpreters will be there to help, so I'm guessing they don't speak English. After that, we're free until six when we meet back up with investor's kids for dinner at the Hungry Bear Restaurant."

"That sounds like fun!" Carlos smiled.

"Yeah, I think we should probably take a change of clothes though. We're suppose to dress nicely for the meet and greets and dinner, so it might be better to take something else to change into for the rides," Logan recommended.

"Good idea," James said jumping up.

"Where are you going?" Carlos asked.

"To pack now so I don't have to worry about it later," James told him.

"That's probably a good idea," Logan agreed and he and Carlos followed James upstairs.

James had already chosen his nice outfit for the day and was putting some casual clothes and comfortable shoes for walking in his bag when Carlos came in. "James, do you have an extra bag I could borrow?"

"What happened to your duffel?"

"I might have left a sandwich I was saving in it and it kinda smells bad now," Carlos told him.

James shook his head, trying not to laugh, "Only you. I think Kendall's duffel is in the closet, I don't think he'll mind if you borrow it. Just remember to clean it out and don't leave any food in it."

"I won't, thanks buddy," Carlos smiled. He looked in the closet and saw Kendall's green duffel bag and grabbed it. He opened it to make sure that none of Kendall's things were in it and found a white bag. He pulled it out, "What should I do with this?"

James looked over and recognized the bag as one from an exclusive boutique. "Where did you find that?"

"It was in his duffel."

James grabbed the bag from his friend and started to open it, "Why is he shopping there?"

"James, that's Kendall's. Should you really be snooping?" Carlos asked.

"Probably not." James said as he peeked inside. His heart fell at the sight of the beautifully wrapped box, topped with an elegant bow.

"James, that's not cool," Carlos said snatching the bag away, but not before James had grabbed the receipt.

"Perfume gift set," James said quietly. He sat down on his bed, trying to come up with a reason why Kendall, HIS Kendall, was buying expensive perfume and for whom.

Carlos saw the look on his friend's face and sat down next to him, "James, what's wrong?"

James shook his head, "It's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not, now tell me."

"Who do you think he's buying perfume for?" James asked.

"Maybe his mom? Mother's Day is coming up and I bet he wanted to give her something nice," Carlos suggested.

"Maybe," James said.

"Okay, what's going on? Why are you so worried all of a sudden?"

James sighed, "You guys know that I'm bi, and I was so relieved when you said it didn't matter to any of you. But Kendall, he was never into guys, not until me and sometimes I get scared that he's going to realize he's made a mistake and..."

"Leave you for some girl?" Carlos finished.

James nodded, "I know it's stupid, but I can't help it."

"James, Kendall loves you more than anything. Just because he was never attracted to guys before doesn't mean anything. He loves you for you."

"I know, I just..."

"Part of loving someone is trusting them. Do you really think that Kendall hasn't worried that he's not good enough for you? After all, you DO like guys and have quite a reputation for being all flirty and stuff. Even when you guys have to fake date he doesn't think for a minute that it's anything more than that, because he trusts you. Don't you owe him the same?" Carlos asked gently.

James smiled a little, "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry."

Carlos patted him on the shoulder, "This is WHY you shouldn't snoop."

"Look who's talking. You tear the place apart looking for Christmas and birthday presents," James said.

"Yes...but I'm looking for something that's actually mine," Carlos pointed out.

"Touche' my friend," James smiled.

"Now, I'm going to put this back and use my old backpack and you are going to stop worrying so much," Carlos said stuffing the bag back into the duffel.

"I'll try," James promised.

"Good. Weren't you going to see if you could get Kendall out of there early?" Carlos asked.

James nodded as he looked at his watch, "Yeah, I'm going to head over there now."

"Okay, Logan and I can get dinner started," Carlos said.

"That sounds good!" James said as he started down the hallway.

James got to Rocque Records about fifteen minutes later and parked in the empty parking lot. He took the elevator to the top floor trying to figure out what to say to Griffin if he refused to let Kendall leave early. He knew he couldn't just go off on the CEO, but he was also tired of Griffin pushing them all around. The doors opened and he walked down the hallway to the conference room. The door was open and the room was empty except for Griffin, who was sitting at the table looking at his computer.

James knocked lightly and Griffin looked up. "James, what are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd see if Kendall was done for the day and give him a ride home."

"How did the meet and greet go?" Griffin asked as he closed his laptop and stood up.

"It was great! We met a lot of really nice people and the mall is incredible," James told him.

"Good, that's what I like to hear," Griffin said as he walked over to the teen. He put his arms around his shoulders and guided him out the door.

"Where is Kendall?" James asked.

"We finished up early and he and Jessica left a couple of hours ago, I was just getting ready to leave myself," Griffin said as they reached his office.

"D-Do you know where they went?" James asked, his heart starting to race.

"I think she said something dinner and maybe a teen club after, they make quite the cute couple. Why?"

"No reason, he still wasn't feeling very well this morning and we're kind of worried about him," James said quietly.

"Well he seemed fine today," Griffin said.

"Good," James said giving him a small smile.

"Are you boys ready for Disneyland tomorrow?"

James nodded, "Yeah, it should be a good day."

"Of course it will," Griffin said as he went into his office and closed the door.

James stood there for a minute before walking back to the elevator and taking it down. He got back to the car and sat there for a few minutes, trying to absorb what Griffin had said.

"He doesn't love me," James said to himself. He choked back a sob as he started the car but turned it off again when the tears started to fall. "He doesn't love me!" James said again. A minute later the steady stream of tears turned into gentle sobs as James felt his heart shatter.


	10. Chapter 10

Kendall sat at the table and finished his apple and the bottle of water. He was still thirsty so he went back to the fridge and got another. He looked at the sandwiches, but he really wasn't that hungry, so he pushed the plate away. He was so tired and wanted nothing more than to go home and hang out with the guys. Then maybe he and James could all it an early night and have some more 'raincheck' time. He smiled to himself remembering the night before, he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have James in his life. He had never felt this kind of love before, certainly not with Jo.

After a few minutes his head started feeling thick and his thoughts became unfocused, so he rested his head on his arms, trying to stop the room from spinning. His arms and legs felt heavy and the room looked like it was tilting back and forth.

He heard the door open and someone walk in, but didn't have the strength to lift his head and look up. Someone ran their fingers through his hair and then he felt hot breath on his ear.

"How do you like me now?" Jessica asked as she wrapped her fingers in his hair and pulled.

Kendall tried to pull free, but couldn't move. She had wrapped her other arm around his chest and was nipping at his earlobe. He yelped when she bit down hard.

"Baby, did I hurt you?" she mocked as she bit him again.

"No marks, he needs to be intact for the meeting tomorrow," a man's voice said. Kendall was trying to focus on the voices but they were muffled, like he was wearing headphones.

"But daddy, he hurt my feelings," she said, giving Kendall's hair another hard tug.

"I SAID no marks. there will be plenty of time to play later."

She released him and another pair of arms encircled him, Kendall tried to fight them but all he could manage was a weak push. He felt himself being lifted off the chair and dragged across the room and a moment later was lying on the couch. He tried to focus his eyes, but things seemed to zoom in and then out and the lights twinkled like little stars. He tried to sit up but still couldn't move. "I must be sleeping and this is some weird dream," he thought to himself.

After a few minutes he found himself staring at the framed painting on the wall. It was a painting of a futuristic building, something that might be seen in a science fiction movie. It was tall and had strange angles to it, and the colors were steel and white with an occasional splash of blue and orange.

A moan drew his attention from the painting and he redirected his line of vision. A blonde girl was sitting on a desk and making out with an older man with gray hair. Kendall knew that he knew them from somewhere, but couldn't put a name to the blurred faces. "Gross," he thought with a shudder.

He refocused on the painting, trying to ignore the sounds of sloppy wet kisses coming from the other side of the room. he stared at the painting and could nearly see little spaceships flying around the building. "Carlos would really like this," he thought to himself. He continued staring at it until he drifted off to sleep.

James cried himself out and then drove home. He walked into the Palmwoods with his head down and ignored any greetings. He got to 2J and let himself in and headed straight for his room, slamming the door behind him.

Logan and Camille had been watching a movie in the living room and looked at each other as James rushed upstairs.

"Something's wrong," Logan said, jumping up to follow his friend.

"What do you think happened?" Camille asked.

"I don't know, but he was picking Kendall up and he's not with him," Logan said as he headed upstairs. Logan walked down the hallway to James and Kendall's room, he tried the handle, but it was locked. He knocked, "James, it's Logan, please open the door."

Not receiving an answer he knocked again, "James, please let me in." He heard movement and then the handle jiggled a little as James turned the lock.

Logan opened the door and his heart sank as he saw James curled up on his bed. He went over and sat next to him, "Buddy, what happened?"

James shook his head and curled up tighter, he could feel tears building again and he didn't want to cry again. "It doesn't matter anymore," he whispered.

"What doesn't matter?" Logan asked, rubbing small circles on his friend's back, trying to comfort him.

"Me. This. Us. Anything," James said as tears started to fall again.

"James, please tell me what happened," Logan begged.

"It's over," James said choking back a sob.

"What's over? Buddy, you're freaking me out please talk to me!" Logan begged.

"Logan?" Camille called quietly from the doorway.

Logan looked over and shook his head, "He won't tell me."

Camille walked over and sat on the other side of James. She looked at Logan and gave him a sad smile as she curled up behind James, wrapping her arms around him. "It's okay sweetie, let it out."

James shook his head, but a moment later couldn't hold in in any longer and sobs wracked his body. Camille held him close from behind and Logan took his hand and squeezed it to let him know that he was still there.

Kendall floated between barely being conscious to a deep dreaming sleep. He was dreaming that he and James were on the beach together. They'd been surfing and swimming and were now lying in the sun, and James was peppering Kendall's face with small kisses. After a couple of minutes Kendall didn't feel warm, he was cold and started shivering. "What's wrong baby?" James asked.

"So c-cold," Kendall stammered.

"Want me warm you up?" James smiled. Only James wasn't James...his beautiful face morphed into a woman with blonde hair who was smiling at him mockingly.

"N-No, get away from me!" Kendall said, pushing at her.

"You are not very nice to me, but I won't hold it against you too much," Jessica said as she straddled his waist. She reached down and kissed him, forcing her tongue into his mouth.

Kendall gagged and tried to turn his head but she her fingers were wrapped in his hair. After a minute she pulled off and licked her lips. "You may be worth the trouble after all," she smirked.

Kendall pushed her again and tried to roll over but still couldn't seem to get his limbs to work right and somehow his shoulders slipped over the side of the couch.

"Now is not the time for you to be hurt," Griffin said as he caught the teen before he fell off all the way. He pushed him back onto the couch, "Now behave."

Kendall's mind was starting to cloud over again as he pulled away from the older man. "H-Home."

Griffin waited for Kendall's eyes to close and looked at Jessica, "Go get Copen and tell him to get his tests done."

Jessica nodded and walked out of the office.

James cried for nearly twenty minutes and Camille and Logan never left his side. He was emotionally drained and feeling fairly numb by the time he'd calmed down.

Camille brushed his hair out of his face, "Can you tell us what happened?"

James took a ragged breath as he sat up against the headboard. "K-Kendall, h-he...h-he."

"Kendall what? Where is he? I thought you went to pick him up?" Logan asked.

"He's out with Jessica!" James said.

"What do you mean he's out with Jessica?" Logan asked.

"Who's Jessica?" Camille asked.

"Griffin's assistant," Logan said.

"I don't KNOW! Griffin said that they left about two hours ago and went to dinner and a club!" James said.

"He can't stand her, why would he go out with her?" Logan asked.

"I don't know but Griffin said that they make a cute couple. Maybe that's what he wants, someone he can go out with and have a 'normal' date and not be afraid of what people might say," James said quietly.

"James, Kendall loves you. Now you said Griffin told you that they went out, did he say whose idea it was...like maybe his?" Camille asked.

"She has a point, Griffin is always making us do things we don't want to do. Maybe this is just another one of his publicity schemes," Logan said.

"Do you really think so?" James asked.

"Have you tried calling him?" Camille asked.

"No...I j-just left. After finding the perfume and then Griffin telling me that, I-I just lost it," James admitted.

"What perfume?" Logan asked.

James sighed, "Carlos found a gift bag with perfume in it in the duffel he was going to borrow. He said it was probably for Mrs. Knight since Mother's Day is coming up."

"That makes sense," Camille said.

"Except that Mrs. Knight likes 'Interlude' which you can find at any department store. Why go someplace where you're going to pay twenty percent more, just for the name of the store?" James asked.

"Call and ask him," Logan said.

James bit his lip, "I'm scared. What if...what if that's what he wants."

Camille kissed his cheek as she grabbed his call phone. "It's not," she said as she found Kendall's number and pushed talk. She hit speaker and handed it back to James.

It rang three times and a woman answered, "Hello."

"Hi this is James, I was calling Kendall," James said.

"Oh, I'm sorry but Kenny's...indisposed at the moment."

"What does that mean exactly?" James asked..

"It means that he's busy at the moment, but I'd love it if you joined us James!" Jessica said sweetly.

"No thanks, can you just put him on please? It's important and I need to talk to him."

"I'm afraid we're busy, but I'll let him know that you called," Jessica said dismissively and hung up.

Camille looked at the phone in shock, "RUDE!"

James sat there for a moment staring at his phone. "Where's Carlos?"

"He's at the park with Stephanie, why?" Logan asked.

"I'm going to need you guys to give us some time after Kendall gets home," James said as he stood up.

"James, don't do anything you're going to regret," Logan said.

"There's nothing left to regret," James said, going to the closet. He opened it and started pulling his clothes out.

"What are you doing?" Logan asked.

"Moving back in with Carlos for awhile, you're going to have to bunk with Kendall," James said, tossing the clothes on the bed.

"James..." Logan started.

James held up his hand, "Look I just need some time, okay?"

"Okay," Logan agreed reluctantly.

"James, just talk to him. I'm sure you guys can work this out," Camille said.

"I will," James promised.

Kendall was unconscious again by the time Copen got to the office. He immediately sat next to the boy and checked his pulse and respiration. "How much did he get?"

"He had two waters," Griffin said.

Copen checked Kendall's eyes and found them dilated. "You're sure that's all?"

"Yes," Griffin said, pointing to the two bottles on the table.

"Alright, he seems a little deep though," Copen said, opening his bag. He pulled off Kendall's left shoe and ran his keys along the bottom of his foot and got no response. Next, he reached into his bag and pulled out small container and removed a needle. He gentle pushed it against the bottom of Kendall's foot. When he didn't get a response he made a quick jab into his big toe. Kendall's foot jerked and he mumbled something in his sleep.

"Well?" Griffin asked.

"He seems stable and has a pain response. He'll probably be coming around in the next hour or so," Copen said.

"Good," Griffin smiled.

"Griffin, how much longer are you going to do this?" Copen asked standing up.

"Until I'm done with him," Griffin said.

A phone range and Griffin nodded at Jessica. She found Kendall's cell in his jacket pocket and answered, "Hello."

"Hi this is James, I was calling Kendall."

"Oh, I'm sorry but Kenny's...indisposed at the moment."

"What does that mean exactly?" James asked.

"It means that he's busy at the moment, but I'd love it if you joined us James!" Jessica said sweetly.

"No thanks, can you just put him on please? It's important and I need to talk to him."

"I'm afraid we're busy, but I'll let him know that you called," Jessica said dismissively and hung up.

"Good girl," Griffin said.

"Thank you daddy," she smiled as she took his arm, kissing his cheek.

Copen shook his head in disgust, "What are you going to do when his parents ask what's happening to their son?"

"Tell them that he's getting the best medical care that money can buy. Besides, you're the one who 'diagnosed' him with anemia and exhaustion," Griffin said.

Copen bit back a response and headed for the door. He opened it and looked back, "We'll need to do more bloodwork in the next couple of days."

"Whatever you need," Griffin said, waving him out.

"What I NEED is for you to stop this before something worse happens," Copen said.

Griffin looked at him and appeared to be thinking it over, "By Monday."

"Are you serious?" Copen asked, not quite believing that Griffin was willing to stop.

Griffin nodded and smiled, "That should be long enough. Besides, there are others we can test on if need be."

"There won't be a need," Copen said.

"You never know. Now get out, we can handle it from here," Griffin ordered.

Copen went to say something but shook his head and closed the door behind him.

Kendall groaned as he stretched out his legs. His feet hit something hard and he realized he was in an enclosed space.

"Are you feeling any better? We'll be at the Palmwoods in a few minutes," Griffin said.

Kendall looked over at Griffin, who was sitting on the other side of the limo. "Y-Yeah, what happened?"

"Apparently you didn't eat enough and passed out from low blood sugar again. You really need to start eating lunch, especially since it's provided," Griffin admonished.

Kendall shook his head as he sat up. He took a deep breath, his head felt like it was going to explode and he felt sick to his stomach. "I had breakfast and I ate an apple at lunch. I was tired so I closed my eyes for a minute, What time is it?"

Griffin looked at his watch, "Nearly eight."

"Eight!?"

"Yes, and I want you to eat something and get some rest tonight. Harrison will be there to pick you all up at nine, drop you off and then drive the other boys on to Anaheim. He'll be staying there to bring them back, so either Parker or Jessica will take you home as I expect the other boys to be quite late," Griffin said.

"Parker?"

Griffin nodded towards the man driving, "Since Harrison will be busy with the other boys, I hired a limo service for the rest of the week."

"Okay," Kendall said, still trying to figure out where the time had gone.

"Also, tomorrow I want the investors to see the other side of the coin, so I want you to dress as the bad boy," Griffin said.

"Griffin, WHY is that necessary?" Kendall asked.

"Because I say it is, we'll see you at the office by nine-thirty," Griffin said as they pulled up in front of the Palmwoods.

Parker got out and opened the passenger door. "Thank you," Kendall said as he got out. He started inside, still feeling sick and sat down in the lobby when a wave of dizziness came over him. He lay his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

"You're not going to get sick in my lobby, are you?" Bitters asked.

Kendall opened his eyes, "No, I just needed to sit down for a minute."

"Good, because Buddha Bob's left for the night and I don't want to have to clean it up."

"You won't," Kendall promised as he stood up, holding onto the arm of the chair.

"You look terrible, do you need help?" Bitters asked.

"No, but thank you," Kendall said.

"Don't let it go to your head or anything. I just don't want you passing out in the lobby, it's bad for business."

"Got it," Kendall smiled.

"Well...feel better hockeyhead," Bitters said with a small smile of his own.

"I will," Kendall said as he headed for the elevators. The ride up to the second floor seemed to take forever and Kendall was glad when the doors finally opened. He walked down the hallway to the apartment and let himself in.

The apartment was quiet and it seemed like no one was home. "Maybe they're down at the pool," Kendall thought as he headed upstairs. He was going to take a shower and some Tylenol and maybe the guys would be back by the time he was done. He went to his bedroom and found it dark. He pulled off his jacket on sat down his bed to catch his breath without turning on the light.

"Finally home?"

Kendall jumped and switched on the table lamp. "Hey, you scared me. Why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Where were you?" James asked, ignoring Kendall's question.

"I was at work...what's wrong?" Kendall asked, noting James' cold tone.

James shook his head, "Where were you?"

"I just told you I was at work. What's going on?"

James stood up and started pacing, "Really...you were at work? Because when we called a little while ago you weren't there and when I went to pick you up about five, you definitely weren't there. So I'm going to ask you one more time, where were you?"

Kendall looked up at him in complete confusion, "James, I was at Rocque Records the whole day. I never got a call from you and they just dropped me off."

"I guess your little girlfriend didn't give you the message then," James said angrily.

Kendall stood up and took James by the shoulders, "James, I don't know what you're talking about but I swear I was at work all day, ask Griffin."

James took Kendall's arms and pushed him away, "I DID talk to Griffin. He was there when I went to pick you up. He was the ONLY one there and he said that you and Jessica went out together so explain that!"

Kendall stumbled back and fell against the wall. He got back up and stared at James in shock, "It's not true, he JUST dropped me off! Jamie, please..."

"NO! YOU DON'T GET TO CALL ME THAT. NOT NOW, NOT AFTER BEING WITH HER!" James yelled, brushing away angry tears.

"Jamie..."

James grabbed Kendall by the arms and pushed him up against the wall, "I said don't call me that!"

Kendall looked at him, suddenly afraid. He'd never seen James this angry or hurt. He fought back tears as James' fingers dug into his arms, "James, hurts."

James realized that he was holding on too tightly and relaxed his hold. He looked into the familiar green eyes and took Kendall's head in his hands and leaned his forehead against the younger boy's. He desperately needed to hear the truth, no matter what it was. They could work things out if Kendall would be honest with him. "Just tell me where you were and I'll believe you. Just tell me the truth, please. I don't care if you were with her, I'll forgive you...PLEASE!"

Kendall was shaking from shock and confusion. He didn't understand what was going on, he'd been at work all day, James knew he couldn't stand Jessica, why would he think they'd been out together? He got a shooting pain in his head and was afraid that he was going to pass out. "James, I swear to God I was at work," he said as tears started to fall.

James clenched his jaw and choked back a sob, "Why are you still lying to me? How could you do this to me, to us? I loved you more than anything, more than anyone!"

"James, please! I'm not lying I was at work!" Kendall pleaded.

Their foreheads were still touching and James shook his head, "I was there, and you weren't. The only person that was there was Griffin and he was leaving."

He pushed away from Kendall who clutched at his arms, "James I was there, I never left."

James looked at Kendall and saw the tears falling from his eyes, as well as the blood that was now flowing from his nose. "Let go...or are you trying to ruin another one of my shirts?" James spat. James regretted the words as soon as he'd said them. He knew it wasn't Kendall's fault that he was sick, but the rest he couldn't forgive, not now. Not after he'd given him the chance to tell him the truth.

Kendall released him and pulled his own shirt up and held it to his face. He slowly slid down the wall and sat there with James looking down at him.

"I'm moving back in with Carlos and you need to stay away from me for awhile. I don't want to talk to you, I don't want hear anything else from you. This is the only way we can hope to save what's left of our friendship, so just give me some time." James grabbed his duffel bag and pillow and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Kendall sat there, trying to stem the flow of blood. He felt numb all over, except for a sharp pain in his chest. "I don't understand what's happening," he said as he started rocking back and forth. A couple of minutes later Kendall curled up on the floor, sobbing, "I don't understand!"


	11. Chapter 11

Logan had called Carlos to let him know what was going on so he cut his date with Stephanie short and met up with Logan and Camille at the park.

"I can't believe Kendall did this," Logan said, shaking his head.

"We don't really know WHAT happened," Carlos said.

"Hmm, let's see...he was seen making out with Jessica in front of the Palmwoods, he bought perfume for someone at a fancy boutique, James goes to pick him up and he's already left WITH Jessica, Jessica answers HIS phone, for the second time, when we call. I think it's safe to say that he's not exactly blameless," Logan said.

"Have you actually asked him about any of this?" Carlos asked, a little shocked that it was so easy for everyone to believe the worst of their friend.

"No, James wanted to talk to him so we left," Logan said.

"I don't know, there was something off about that phone call," Camille said.

"Off, how?" Carlos asked.

"I'm not sure, but something just didn't seem right."

"Yeah, like maybe the fact that Kendall was out with Jessica when he's suppose to be in love with someone else," Logan said.

"No, that's not what I meant," she said smacking is arm

"What do you think was wrong?" Carlos asked. shooting a glare at Logan.

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'll figure it out," Camille promised.

Logan's phone buzzed and he looked at the screen. "James said he's done...looks like I'm moving back in with Kendall."

Carlos shook his head, he was still upset by the way everyone was acting. "I'LL move in with Kendall, you stay with James."

"Why?"

"Because," Carlos said, standing up.

"You can't seriously be taking Kendall's side in this?" Logan asked.

"No...I'm taking THEIR side," Carlos said.

Logan shook his head, "There is no 'their' anymore and you can't take two opposing sides."

"Yes there is and I can too," Carlos said as he started walking back to the Palmwoods.

"Los..." Logan started.

"NO! You're wrong Logan! I can't believe that you're condemning Kendall without even hearing his side of the story. Since when do we take the word of Griffin, Jessica, and even Guitar Dude, over that of our best friend?"

"Carlos, you weren't there. You didn't see James...he was crying. He hasn't cried like that since his parents divorce," Logan said.

"I understand that, but you're condemning Kendall on what Papi calls circumstantial evidence. We don't know all the facts and you don't KNOW what happened! If you're not even going to listen to his side, than you're not much of a friend," Carlos said as he walked away.

Logan's jaw dropped as he watched his friend walk away. "Can you believe that!?" He looked over at his girlfriend when he didn't get a response. "Well?"

"He's not wrong," she said as she started after Carlos.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Logan asked rushing after her.

Camille stopped and looked at him, "You haven't talked to Kendall, you don't know what happened! And...what about this possibly being some scheme of Griffin's? I know James is hurt and freaking out, but this whole thing could just be one big misunderstanding and you ARE choosing one friend over the other."

"I am not!"

Camille crossed her arms over her chest and just looked at him.

"Okay...maybe I am. James...it just broke my heart to see him like that. He's always protected me from bullies and I guess...I don't know...I felt like I needed to protect him," Logan said quietly.

Camille hugged him, "I know, but doesn't Kendall deserve the same?"

Logan sighed, "Yes, I just don't understand what's going on with him. One day he's really sick, the next he's better. Now all of this craziness with Jessica, who Guitar Dude says looks like Jo. Maybe he's not as over her as he thought he was, maybe he is having second thoughts."

"Oh, he's over her and good riddance. Do you really think he'd go for someone who looks like her after everything she pulled?" Camille asked.

"No...but how do you know he's really over her though?"

Camille smiled, "Because I see the way he looks at James. Logan, he loves him so much and he would never do anything to hurt him. There has to be a reason this is all happening."

"Yes, but what's the reason?"

"THAT is what we have to find out, and I know just the person to help," Camille said taking his arm.

"Who?" Logan asked as she dragged him off.

"My dad," she smiled.

After a few minutes Kendall's sobs slowed and he tried to stand, without success. He curled back up on the floor and wrapped his arms around his sides and closed his eyes, a few minutes later he was asleep.

Carlos got back to the apartment and headed upstairs. He went to his room and found James lying on Logan's bed, he had his earbuds in and seemed to be sleeping. He grabbed a blanket and covered his friend and started across the hall to check on Kendall.

He knocked and when he didn't receive an answer, opened the door. He saw Kendall lying on the floor, his face covered in blood. "Oh my God!"

He rushed to his friend's side and checked to make sure he was breathing. He sighed in relief when he saw Kendall's chest move as he took a breath. He gently shook his shoulder, "Kendall, what happened?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened, why is there blood everywhere?" Carlos asked, trying not to freak out.

"Los?" Kendall croaked out.

"Yeah, it's me. What happened? James didn't hit you, did he?"

"What?"

Carlos pointed to the blood on Kendall's hands and shirt.

"N-No, it was my nose," Kendall said as he tried to keep from crying again.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked, helping him to sit up.

Kendall shook his head, "H-He h-hates me. He hates me and I don't even know what happened."

"James doesn't hate you, I think he's just... confused right now. Can you tell me what happened?" Carlos asked sitting on the floor next to him.

"I don't know, I came home and he was waiting for me. He said I was lying about being at work, that Griffin said I was out with Jessica. I wasn't Carlos, I swear to God I would never do that!" Kendall said, choking back a sob.

"Okay, we can figure this out," Carlos said.

"H-How?"

"Well, let's start at the beginning. You went to Rocque Records this morning and then what?"

Kendall thought back, "W-We met up with the investors and they asked a lot of questions. It took all morning and by lunch time I was really tired. Griffin told me to stay in the office and rest and to meet them in the conference room later."

"Did you eat?"

Kendall nodded, "He had Eileen bring me lunch so I had an apple and some water."

"That's ALL you ate today?" Carlos asked.

"I was more tired than anything. I thought I'd eat with you guys when I got home, but it was so late when I woke up. I don't even know where the time went," Kendall said.

"What time did you wake up?"

"He said it was about eight," Kendall said as he sifted through the scattered memories.

"You slept through the meeting?"

"I must have. I remember waking up a couple of times in Griffin's office...I was having weird dreams," Kendall said.

"Then what?"

"I woke up in the limo on the way here. Griffin said it was eight and said that we need to be ready by nine tomorrow," Kendall told him.

"Wait...Griffin was IN the limo with you?"

Kendall nodded, "Yeah."

"Was Jessica there?"

"No, it was just him and the driver." Kendall said. His head was starting to feel thick again and he wanted to sleep.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he tell James that you were out with Jessica if you were asleep in the office...and why didn't James see you?"

"I don't know. Carlos I'm so tired," Kendall said.

"Kendall you need to try and focus, just for a couple of minutes, and then we'll get you cleaned up and into bed," Carlos promised.

"James isn't going to believe me anyway," Kendall said.

"Yes he will, we just have to put all the pieces together for him. When was the last time you saw Jessica?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know!"

"I know this is hard, but you need to think about this," Carlos said firmly.

Kendall sighed and tried to push through the fogginess in his mind. "She was there at the meeting. Before it started though she was coming on to me again and I told her off. I told her that she was out of line going into my wallet to leave her number and that I wasn't interested in her."

"You never saw her again after that?"

"No, yes...no, it was a dream I had," Kendall said, getting frustrated with himself.

Carlos could see that Kendall was ready to drop so he reluctantly decided to wait to ask him anymore questions. He stood up and held a hand down to Kendall, "Come on, lets get you cleaned up."

"I'm sorry," Kendall said as he took his hand.

"It's not your fault, we'll figure the rest out later," Carlos as he pulled him up.

Kendall stood up and then fell back against the wall as a shooting pain went through his right leg. "Oh my God, that hurts."

"What is it?" Carlos asked, grabbing him before he fell back down.

"M-My hip, I think it's because I was lying on the floor," Kendall said as he tried standing again.

Carlos steadied him and a couple of minutes later Kendall was able to stand on his own. "Did you take anything when you got home?" Carlos asked as he helped Kendall down the hallway.

Kendall shook his head, "N-No, J-James was waiting for me and..."

"I know, don't worry about that now. I think a warm shower and some Tylenol will help," Carlos said as he opened the bathroom door.

Kendall started for the sink but Carlos stopped him. "Just get in the shower, you don't want to see your face right now."

"That bad?" Kendall asked with a small smile.

Carlos smiled, "I'm not going to lie, it kinda looks like you got hit with a water balloon filled with blood."

"Great."

Carlos turned on the water, "I'll go grab you some clean clothes and leave them on the counter. Then I'm going to make you some dinner because you need to eat."

"You don't have to do that," Kendall said.

Carlos smiled, "You guys always take care of me when I'm not feeling well, now it's my turn."

"Thanks Los," Kendall said quietly.

Carlos hugged him, "It's going to be okay."

Kendall choked back another sob as he hugged Carlos back. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't think straight, I can't remember anything, and I'm so tired. I don't know what to do, and I'm scared," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Carlos held him tightly for a moment, he wasn't sure what to say. Kendall had never admitted to being scared before. He was always the one who reassured his friends, always the strong one. "We'll figure this out, I promise."

"D-Do you believe me?" Kendall asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Yes I believe you and we're going to fix this, together," Carlos promised as he released his friend.

"Thank you," Kendall said as he pulled back. He looked at Carlos' shirt and James' words echoed in his ears. "I-I'm sorry."

"For what?" Carlos asked.

Kendall pointed to Carlos' shoulder where some of his blood had stained the shirt. "It'll come clean and if it doesn't, it's JUST a shirt. I have dozens," Carlos said, smiling.

Kendall nodded, "Thanks Carlos."

"You're welcome, now get cleaned up and I'm going to go make you something to eat," Carlos ordered as he closed the bathroom door.

The room quickly filled with steam and Kendall breathed it in, letting it warm him. He peeled off his blood soaked shirt and left it in the sink because the moist air was making it damp and sticky again. He caught a glimpse of his face and shook his head, "I look like something out of a horror movie."

There was a knock on the door. "Hey, I have your clothes," Carlos said.

Kendall opened the door and Carlos handed him the things he's grabbed from Kendall's dresser. "Thanks Carlos."

Carlos looked at his friend in shock, "What happened?"

"What?" Kendall asked.

Carlos pointed to the large bruise on the inside of Kendall's arm that now covered nearly half of his forearm, "Where did you get that?"

Kendall looked at his arms and shook his head. "I think this one is from where the doctor took blood."

"And these?" Carlos asked touching one of the new bruises on Kendall's upper arm where James had squeezed too tightly.

"It doesn't matter," Kendall said quietly.

Carlos wasn't buying it, "They look like finger marks and they're new. Did James do this!?"

"Carlos..."

"NO! Did James do this?" Carlos asked again.

"I tripped and he grabbed me, that's all," Kendall said, not adding that it was James that caused him to fall.

"Kendall, those look bad."

"It's just the anemia, the doctor said that's what's causing them," Kendall said.

Carlos still looked unconvinced but decided to drop it for the time being. Kendall was exhausted and looked like he was ready to drop, so he'd talk to Logan about it when he got home. "Okay, get your shower and I'm going to go make you a sandwich."

"Thanks Carlos."

"You don't have to thank me buddy," Carlos said as he closed the door.

Kendall sighed in relief, glad that Carlos hadn't pressed for more information. He didn't want everyone taking sides and fighting, and he knew that James hadn't meant to squeeze that hard.

James...he was so angry and Kendall was still having a hard time processing everything that had happened. He took a deep breath and pulled off his jeans, wincing when the material rubbed against his hip.

He groaned as he stepped into the shower. He adjusted the water a little and let it run over him for a moment before grabbing the soap and scrubbing the blood from his face and chest. He washed and rinsed his hair, letting the water run over him until it started cooling down. He sighed as he dried off, the warm water had felt good but now he was getting cold again so he quickly pulled on the flannel pajamas that Carlos had brought for him.

He looked at his shirt and debated on trying to clean it before tossing it in the trash. He opened the cabinet and took two Tylenol and then grabbed the rest of his clothes and walked back down the hallway to his room. He looked over at the other bedroom door, tempted to try and talk to James again. He took a deep breath and knocked, "James?"

When there was no answer, he knocked again, "James, can we please talk?"

Carlos had brought up a tray for Kendall and was waiting for him in his room. He sighed sadly as he heard Kendall's quiet plea and got up and went to the doorway. "He was sleeping when I grabbed my things."

Kendall looked over at him, "Oh okay, thanks."

"I think you both need to get some rest," Carlos said.

Kendall nodded as he went into his room, "Why did you grab your things?"

"I'm switching for now," Carlos said.

"Logan's mad at me too," Kendall said quietly as he sat on his bed.

"Nah, I just got home first. Besides, I'm WAY more fun than bookworm boy," Carlos grinned.

Kendall smiled at his friend, "Thanks Carlos, I really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me. Now eat, I grabbed a couple of movies in case you wanted to watch something."

Kendall gave him a small smile, "I'm not really hungry."

"I know. It's turkey and cheddar, now eat," Carlos ordered, pointing at the tray.

Kendall smiled as he picked up half of the sandwich that Carlos had made. He took a bite and swallowed, "It's good."

"I wish I could have made you something warm," Carlos said.

"This is great, I'm not that hungry," Kendall said, taking another bite.

"You want to watch a movie?" Carlos asked, hoping to keep Kendall distracted.

"Sure," Kendall said, sitting back against his headboard.

Carlos smiled and put in a dvd. He went over and sat down next to Kendall, "Did you take something for your hip?"

Kendall nodded, "Yeah."

"Good," Carlos said as he settled back to watch the movie. A few minutes later Kendall had eaten most of his sandwich and he was staring at the door hoping James would come and talk to him, when Carlos bumped him with his arm. "Hey, that zombie looks like you did an hour ago."

Kendall rolled his eyes, "Very funny."

"Seriously, you could be twins. He's skinny and has blond hair," Carlos pointed out.

"He's like ten years older than me and short...like you," Kendall said.

"I am NOT short, I am the perfect height," Carlos said.

"Yes you are...for a twelve year old," Kendall smirked.

"I'll get even when you're feeling better," Carlos told him.

"You can try," Kendall countered.

"I will," Carlos smiled.

They went back to watching the movie. "Thanks Los," Kendall said quietly.

"I told you, you don't have to thank me," Carlos smiled, putting his arm around his friend. Kendall smiled and leaned against Carlos shoulder. A few minutes later he was sleeping so Carlos carefully got up and tucked him in. He stretched out on James' bed and finished watching the movie.

Samuel Roberts was an unassuming man of about forty-five. He was 5'10" with dark, thinning hair, an average build, and a pleasant looking face. He was the kind of man that blended into a crowd, which had served him well in his previous career as police detective. After he'd injured his back in an on-the-job injury, he'd taken a teaching position at the police academy in Bridgeport, Connecticut. When Camille had been bitten by the acting bug he agreed to take a leave of absence to accompany her to Los Angeles.

He and Camille's mom had divorced when their daughter was ten, and had remained amiable towards each other. Janine Roberts had a lucrative catering business, making it impossible for her to relocate but she visited as often as she could. Sam had always been good at putting pen to paper and had written several of the training guides at the academy. So while his daughter pursued an acting career, he decided to try his hand at writing fiction and was currently working on his first novel.

He liked most of Camille's friends, including Logan and the other boys, even if they did have a tendency to get themselves into trouble every now and then. He'd met Carlos' dad when he'd visited a few months earlier and the two men had become fast friends.

Sam put dinner on hold when Camille and Logan had come in and she asked him to help figure out what was going on with their friend, Kendall. He knew they weren't telling him the whole story so when there was a lull in the conversation, he broke in. "I'm going to help, but first of all you need to tell me what is it that you're trying to NOT tell me?"

"What do you mean daddy?"

He just looked at her.

Camille looked at Logan, who was definitely getting fidgety. "I don't know," he whispered.

"We need to tell him," Camille said.

"It's not our decision," Logan hissed.

"Look, whatever it is I promise that it'll stay between us, provided that it doesn't put anyone in harm's way," Sam told them.

Logan looked at Camille and she nodded. "Go ahead," he sighed, hoping his two friends didn't end up hating him.

"Well you know how Kendall was going out with Jo?" Camille asked.

"Yes."

"After they broke up Kendall and James kind of 'found' each other," Camille said, not quite sure how to tell him.

Sam looked at her for a minute and then he realized what she meant. "Okay, I think I've got it."

"But NOBODY else knows and we have to keep it that way," Logan said.

Sam nodded, "I understand, now why don't you tell me everything from the beginning, without the edits."

A few minutes later Camille and Logan had told him about Griffin wanting Kendall to attend the meetings, Kendall's sudden illness that seemed to come and go, Jessica, and everything that had happened over the past few days.

Sam had started jotting down notes and every now and then asked when he needed to clarify something. "Alright, so Kendall's seen a doctor, do you know the doctor's name?"

Logan shook his head, "I don't think he ever told me. He just said was that it's someone that Griffin brought in to do company exams."

"You all know not to eat to drink from any container that hasn't been in your sight the entire time?"

"I asked him and Kendall said the only thing he had was something to drink from unopened bottles," Camille said.

"Okay, anything else?" Sam asked as he looked over his notes.

"I don't think so," Logan said.

"I still think there was something off about that phone call tonight," Camille said.

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, I can't put my finger on it."

"Okay, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remember back to the conversation," Sam said.

Camille knew the exercise and did as her dad said. "We're in James' room and I took the phone and dialed Kendall's number for him."

"How many rings before someone answered," Sam asked.

"Three, Jessica answered. She told James that 'Kenny' was indisposed and then she said that she'd love to have James join them."

"I've never heard Kendall go by Kenny before," Sam said.

"That's because he hates the name," Logan told him.

"Does she know about the boys?"

"No, but apparently she has a thing for James," Logan said.

"Alright, Camille I want you to to through the call moment by moment and tell me what's off," Sam instructed.

Camille was quiet as she replayed the conversation in her mind a few times. Her eyes popped open, "The noise."

"What noise?" Sam asked.

"There was no noise, NONE. Griffin told James that Kendall and Jessica were going out to dinner and then a club, but there was NO background noise at all. There should have been voices and music playing, but there wasn't."

"You're right, but she could have been in the restroom," Logan suggested.

"There STILL would have been some kind of noise. If they were at a club there definitely would have been some kind of music playing, and there's ALWAYS a bunch of girls in the lady's room," Camille said.

"If they were at a nice restaurant, it would have been quieter," Logan said.

"There still would have been people talking in the background," Camille insisted.

"Camille's right, it's nearly impossible to block out all of the sound in a public place," Sam said.

"So then where were they?" Logan asked.

"THAT is what we need to find out," Sam said.

Carlos stretched out on James' bed and finished watching the movie. When it was over he got up and took Kendall's tray downstairs. He had just finished putting everything away when Logan got home.

Logan bit his lip, trying to figure out what to say. "Hey."

"Hey," Carlos said as he dried his hands and started for the stairs. He was still upset with Logan and in no mood to argue with him.

"Carlos, I know you're mad and you have every right to be. I'm sorry for everything and you're right, I can't choose one friend over the other."

Carlos looked at him, "What changed your mind?"

"Camille and I went to speak to Mr. Roberts and he's going to look into a few things and get back to us," Logan said.

"What did he say?"

"Just that Camille's right about something being off with the phone call. I really hope James and Kendall don't hate me, but we had to tell him everything. He's not going to say anything though," Logan said.

"Logan, you should have asked before telling him," Carlos said shaking his head.

"Los we tried, I swear! He knew that we weren't telling him everything and there was no other way around it," Logan told him.

Carlos took a deep breath, "Okay, you still should have asked but I know we can trust him. What else did he say?"

Logan sighed in relief, "He's going to see if a friend of his can find out where the call came from. He said he's not sure if they'll be able to trace it without Mrs. Knight's permission, but he's going to try."

"Why do they need her permission?" Carlos asked.

"Because the account's in her name and we haven't been able to get a hold of her. I tried calling her earlier and then again at Camille's, but she didn't answer. I left a message but until we hear from her he said that he's going to have to do this through unofficial channels."

"That makes sense," Carlos agreed.

"I don't think we should tell Kendall or James anything until we hear from him though," Logan said,

"Why?"

"Because if they know that he knows..." Logan started.

"They might freak out and it'll just makes things worse?"

"Yeah, Mr. Roberts also wants me to find out the name of the doctor and what tests he ran," Logan said.

"Why? He said Kendall's anemic, do you think he's wrong?" Carlos asked.

"No, he's definitely anemic. It's just that it all came on so fast and he keeps having such highs and lows, it doesn't make any sense."

"That reminds me, when I got home I found Kendall asleep on the floor and he had blood all over him. At first I was scared that James had hit him, but he said it was just a bloody nose. I helped him get up and he went to take a shower and when he took his shirt off he had bruises all over his arms."

"Where is he now?" Logan asked.

"Sleeping."

"Do you know if he ate anything today?" Logan asked.

"I made him a sandwich and he said he had an apple for lunch."

"We need to take him to another doctor," Logan said.

"That's a good idea, but how are you going to convince Kendall?"

Logan sighed, "We're going to have to figure out a way. How's James doing?"

"He was asleep when I got home too. Everything is so messed up," Carlos said sadly.

"I know, but we're going to figure out what's going on," Logan promised.

"Well, I'm going to head up to bed. I'm staying with Kendall and James is asleep on your bed so you'll have to sleep in mine," Carlos told him.

"I can stay with Kendall," Logan offered.

"No, I already told him I'd stay with him and my things are already there," Carlos said.

"Okay, goodnight," Logan said as he started turning out the lights.

"Night buddy," Carlos said as he headed upstairs. He went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth and then went back to the bedroom. He changed into his pajamas and turned out the light.

Kendall woke up about one, his head was hurting again and he was cold. He got up and started to get into James' bed when he realized that Carlos was sleeping there. He quickly started back to his own bed when Carlos reached out and grabbed his hand. "Are you okay?"

"S-Sorry, I forgot," Kendall said.

"It's okay, what's wrong?" Carlos yawned.

"I-I was just cold," Kendall said getting back into his own bed.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Just a headache," Kendall said.

Carlos got up, "I'll get you some Tylenol."

"You don't have to do that."

"Be quiet and lie down," Carlos ordered as he headed to the bathroom. He returned a moment later with two Tylenol and a glass of water. He sat down next to Kendall, "Here you go."

Kendall took the pills and swallowed them, "Thanks Carlos."

"Are you still cold?"

"Yeah," Kendall said.

"Move over."

"Carlos..."

"Look, when we were little how many times did we all bunk together? Remember when we managed to zip all four sleeping bags together to make one huge one?"

"Yeah, but we were little kids."

"So? You're cold and I have a lot of body heat, you sleep under the covers and I'll sleep under the top blanket," Carlos said, grabbing his pillow.

Kendall moved over and Carlos laid down next to him. "Sometimes I wish we were still little," Kendall said quietly.

"Me too," Carlos smiled.

"Things were hard, but it was easier than this,"' Kendall said, his voice breaking.

"Aw buddy, it's going to be okay," Carlos said, putting his arm around Kendall's shoulders.

Kendall shook his head, "H-He hates me, he said to stay away f-from him or risk losing our friendship too."

Carlos sighed, "This is my fault, I wish I'd taken that stupid sandwich out of my duffel and we wouldn't have found the bag and it wouldn't have made him start worrying."

"What are you talking about?" Kendall asked.

"We were packing some extra clothes to take along tomorrow and I'd left a sandwich in my duffel and pretty much ruined it. James said you wouldn't mind if I borrowed yours and I found the bag with the perfume in it."

"What perfume?"

"The perfume in the little white bag. I wouldn't let him open it, but he saw the receipt," Carlos said.

"Are you kidding me?" Kendall asked.

"I know, I told him that it's probably for your mom, I'm so sorry," Carlos said.

"It's not for my mom," Kendall said, sitting up.

"It's not?"

Kendall shook his head, "Can you get it?"

"Kendall..."

"Please."

Carlos got up and got the bag from the closet and tried to hand it to Kendall. Kendall shook his head, "Open it."

"Kendall, are you sure?"

"Open it."

Carlos sat down next to him and pulled the package out of the bag, looking at Kendall before tearing the paper off. Carlos stared in shock at the dark purple box with the words 'Diamond Dust', embossed in crystal across the front. "No way! How did you get this?"

"Do you remember K-Kelly's friend, Chloe?" Kendall asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, last month she was at the studio waiting for Kelly and overheard James talking about Cuda's new cologne that's coming out. She asked if James liked Cuda and I said that she didn't know the half of it. I told her that he was planning on camping out in October so he can get on the reservation list for the new gift set when it comes out in December. T-That's when she said she might be able to help with that," Kendall told him.

"How did that turn into getting the whole gift set months before it's even out?" Carlos asked.

"Her fiance works at Cuda so she asked him if he could get a reservation voucher for James. I asked her if she could let me know and not James, because I didn't want him to be disappointed if he couldn't."

"That was a good idea," Carlos said.

"Chloe called me last week and told me that Ben was able to get an actual gift set for James, at cost, because they always set the first few aside for promotions. I told her I'd buy it as a gift for James and she told me that if he likes it they might ask him to be a spokesman because HIS name is Diamond."

"Kendall, that's AMAZING! But why is it wrapped in girly paper and in a Wilshire Boutique bag?"

"Because in order for Ben to be able to sell it, it had to be ordered from an actual store. Since Chloe works at the boutique, that's where I had to buy it from. Harrison drove me there but I wasn't feeling well so he went in and picked it up for me. They always wrap their gifts and I forgot to tell them that I didn't need it wrapped," Kendall said.

"We need to tell him," Carlos said, getting up.

"NO!" Kendall said grabbing Carlos' arm.

"Why not? Once we explain it, he'll realize that all of this is one huge misunderstanding!"

"Because that's not why he's mad," Kendall said.

"It's the start of it," Carlos said, confused by Kendall's reluctance to tell James.

"No it's not. He was upset about Jessica the other day too, even after I explained everything."

"But if he finds out that he's wrong about this, then maybe he'll realize that he's wrong about everything else," Carlos said.

"Because I shouldn't have to prove anything. Because he should TRUST me and he doesn't," Kendall said, fighting back tears again.

"But..."

"No, Carlos please don't say anything to him. I'll tell him once things have calmed down," Kendall promised.

"But if you tell him now, things will calm down sooner," Carlos said, trying to reason with his stubborn friend.

"Then he should have asked me," Kendall said, curling up under the blankets.

Carlos sighed sadly, "Okay I won't say anything for now, but you should tell him."

Carlos put the bag back into the closet and then went back to bed. He rolled over onto his side and looked at his blond friend, "It was a great thing to do Kendall and I'm sorry I ruined it."

"You didn't ruin anything Carlos. This started before you found the bag, and I don't understand why. I've never lied to him but he's willing to believe the worst about me."

Carlos sighed, "I know, I don't understand either. Try and get some sleep, things will be better tomorrow."

"I hope so," Kendall said, closing his eyes.

James slept fitfully through the night, waking at six. He finally gave up trying to go back to sleep and got up, careful not to wake Logan. He grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom starting the water in the shower. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and saw his red, puffy eyes and the tear stains on his cheeks. "Great," he said and splashed some cold water on his face.

He finished his shower and then took his time with his hair, trying to look like nothing was bothering him. When he was finished he stood back to look at his reflection again. "I look good," he said trying to smile without much success.

He grabbed his things and was heading out the door when he saw Kendall's shirt in the trash. He picked it up and saw all the blood, "Oh no."

He dropped it back in the trash and ran down the hall to his and Kendall's room. He carefully opened the door and looked in, releasing the breath he'd been holding when he saw Kendall curled up next to a snoring Carlos. He smiled at the two of them and was debating on whether to take a picture, when everything came rushing back to him. He clenched his jaw and closed the door.

Logan woke up about seven and saw that James was already up. He got up and went to get ready for the day, checking on Kendall before going downstairs. He wanted to try and talk and James before their other two friends were up.

He saw James sitting on the couch watching TV, "Good morning."

"Morning," James said without looking over.

Logan went over and sat down next to him, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," James said still watching TV.

"I kinda wanted to talk to you about something," Logan said reaching over and hitting mute on the remote.

"If it's about Kendall, don't bother," James said,

"Camille and I talked to her dad because she thinks there was something weird about the phone call, and he agrees," Logan quickly said.

"Off like how?"

"There was no background noise," Logan said.

"So?"

"So...if they really were out somewhere together we should have been able to hear things like other people talking, music, things like that," Logan told him.

James stayed quiet for a moment, "What if they weren't someplace public?"

"What do you mean?" Logan asked.

"What if they were someplace private, like her place or parked somewhere?"

"I-I guess we didn't think about that," Logan said.

"Wouldn't that would explain no background noise?" James asked.

Logan sighed, "James, he's going to try and pinpoint where the call came from."

"Why?"

"Because something's not right about this whole thing, Mr. Roberts thinks so too."

"You're right, there is something wrong. Kendall and I never should have gotten together," James said, hitting the mute button again.

"James..."

"I don't want to talk about this right now. I just want to get through the next couple of days and then I'm going to see if my mom wants to go someplace with me next week, because I need a break."

"James, please just wait until we hear from Mr. Roberts before you decide anything," Logan pleaded.

James sighed and turned off the TV, "What does he think he's going to find?"

"He's not sure, but he thinks it's strange that Kendall started getting sick after these meetings started. He wants me to find out who the doctor is and what tests he ran," Logan told him.

"What does that have to do with Jessica and Kendall?"

"Jessica WORKS for Griffin and you have to admit that Griffin's done some pretty strange things," Logan said.

"So?"

"I don't know, but he's pretty sure that there's something wrong with the whole thing. Please, just wait until we hear from him," Logan asked again.

"Fine, I won't do anything until we hear from him, but Kendall and I are not together right now."

"Okay," Logan said.

Carlos woke up confused as to where he was. He saw Kendall sleeping next to him and remembered what had happened. He carefully got up and ran to get ready. Once he was dressed he went back to the bedroom and gently shook Kendall's shoulder, "Hey buddy, time to get up."

Kendall groaned and pulled the blankets tighter, "Don't wanna."

"I know, but it's eight and Harrison will be here in an hour," Carlos said.

Kendall sighed and pushed back the blankets, "I hate this."

"I know, me too," Carlos said, holding his hand down to help his friend up.

Kendall took the offered hand and stood up. He closed his eyes for a minute, waiting for the dizziness to subside, before going to the dresser and grabbing some black jeans and a gray t-shirt. "Stupid Griffin and his investors," Kendall mumbled.

"I'm going to go down and get some breakfast. What do you want to eat?" Carlos asked.

"Nothing."

"Kendall, you have to eat something," Carlos said.

"I'm not hungry," Kendall said as he grabbed his black jacket from the closet.

"I know you're not, but you still have to eat," Carlos said firmly.

Kendall sighed, "I'll have whatever you have."

Carlos smiled and started out the door, "Okay!"

"Do you know where the car keys are?" Kendall called after him.

"No, why?"

"I'm driving, Harrison is going with you guys today and I'm not riding with anyone else," Kendall said.

"Okay, I think James has them though," Carlos said.

"Great," Kendall sighed.

"I'll get them for you," Carlos said as he headed back out the door.

"Thanks Carlos." Kendall finished dressing and then went to brushed his teeth. He avoiding looking in the mirror while he took two Tylenol and started downstairs.

Carlos went into the kitchen and greeted his two friends. "Hey James, do you have the car keys?"

"Yeah, but Harrison's driving us," James said as he fished the keys out of his jacket pocket.

"I know, Kendall's going to drive today since Harrison is staying with us," Carlos told him.

"Why doesn't he just ask his girlfriend for a ride?" James said as he dangled the keys just out of Carlos' reach.

Carlos glared at him, "Knock it off James."

"Or what?" James asked.

Carlos started to say something when he saw Kendall standing in the doorway, "Kendall..."

Kendall just shook his head, "It's fine Carlos."

"Why are you dressed like that?" Logan asked.

"Griffin told me to dress like a bad boy today," Kendall said.

"That fits," James said under his breath.

Kendall's eyes started to tear up, "Never mind Carlos, I'll walk." Kendall slipped his jacket on as he rushed out the front door.

Carlos grabbed the keys from James and punched him in the arm, "Jerk!" He rushed out after Kendall and caught up with him at the elevator. He handed Kendall the keys, "Don't pay any attention to what he says right now, you know how he gets."

"Yeah, I know," Kendall said taking the keys. "Thanks Los."

"I'll see you tonight," Carlos said.

Kendall nodded and got into the elevator, "Have fun today."

Carlos tried to smile, "Bye buddy."

Kendall gave him a small smile as the elevator doors closed.

Carlos went back to the apartment and put away the cereal and bowls he'd gotten out, suddenly not very hungry.

"Carlos..." James started.

"Don't, you were WAY out of line James and I don't want to talk to you right now."

"I know! I don't know why I said that, it just kind of slipped out," James said.

"It's one thing for you to be angry, it's another for you to be mean," Carlos said angrily.

"I know," James said his eyes tearing up.

"I know you don't want to talk to him, but you need to apologize," Carlos said crossing his arms across his chest.

"I will," James promised.

"You better," Carlos said.

Kendall got to Rocque Records and parked. He was a few minutes early but decided he needed to talk to Griffin about Jessica and her inappropriate behaviour. He took the elevator to the top floor and walked down the hallway to Griffin's office. Eileen looked up, "You're a little early."

"I know, I need to talk to Griffin," Kendall said.

She nodded and picked up the phone, letting Griffin know that Kendall was there. She waved him in, "He said to go right in."

"Thanks," Kendall said as he went into Griffin's office.

"Kendall, you're early and Eileen said you need to speak with me before the meeting," Griffin said looking Kendall up and down.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you about Jessica," Kendall said.

Griffin stood up and walked around Kendall, "There's something missing."

"What?"

"From your outfit, there's something not quite right," Griffin said.

"Griffin, I'm trying to talk to you about something important!"

"Eyeliner, you forgot the eyeliner," Griffin said going back to his desk.

"I'm NOT wearing eyeliner and you need to do something about Jessica," Kendall said.

"Jessica...yes, she'll have eyeliner," Griffin said picking up the phone.

"Griffin, Jessica has been coming on to me and you need to make her stop! She answered my phone twice AND got into my wallet!" Kendall said, aggravated by the older man's lack of consideration.

Griffin put the phone down, "Well, those are serious accusations. Are you sure that you haven't misinterpreted things?"

"Are you kidding me? I woke up the other day in the car and she was kissing me, she keeps touching me, and she slipped a note into my wallet!"

"I see...well, I'll have a chat with her and tell her back off. I know she's a huge fan of the band and perhaps it's all gone to her head," Griffin said.

"Thank you," Kendall said, relieved that he'd finally gotten through to Griffin.

"Now...about the eyeliner," Griffin said.

"My mom took her makeup with her and I don't feel well enough to put it on anyway. I don't need to poke my eyes out," Kendall said.

"Jessica can do it for you," Griffin said.

"I don't want Jessica anywhere near me, especially with something pointy," Kendall said, shaking his head.

"Eileen then," Griffin said picking the phone up again.

Kendall rolled his eyes and sat down, knowing he wasn't going to get any further with the CEO. A few minutes later Eileen had applied black eyeliner to Kendall's eyes and Griffin nodded his approval. "MUCH better. Now you really look the part," Griffin said with a strange smile.

A few minutes later the investors arrived and another question and answer session began.

It was a little after eight and the sun was just going down. Camille and her dad were taking a walk through the park after dinner. Sam had spent a good portion of the day calling contacts to try and track down Kendall's cell service and to run a background check on Griffin and RCM CBT Globalnet Sanyoid. So far there were a few leads, but nothing solid.

"It's such a beautiful night," Camille said.

"Yes it is," Sam said, smiling at his daughter. "What time is your audition tomorrow?"

"Ten at Universal," she said.

He nodded and they walked in silence for a few minutes. "You seem awfully distracted," Camille said.

"Do I?"

"What's wrong, did you hear something?" Camille asked.

He shook his head, 'They're still trying to run a trace on Kendall's phone, it's going to take awhile."

"I hope they find something soon."

"I know, so do I," Sam said putting his arm around her shoulder.

"They were so happy," she said sadly, lying her head on his shoulder.

"Young love is never easy," Sam told her.

"I guess not," she said remembering the ups and downs in her own relationship with Logan. Something caught her eye and she stared across the park.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Sam asked when Camille suddenly stopped walking.

"Daddy, that looks like Kendall," she said pointing to a figure curled up under a tree.

He looked at where she was pointing, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said taking off at a dead run.

"Camille wait!" Sam yelled running after her.

She stopped just short of reaching the tree and Sam caught up with her. He took one look and pushed her towards the Palmwoods, "Go get the car."

When she didn't move he grabbed her by the shoulders, "Cami, snap out of it and get the car!"

She looked at him and nodded taking off back across the park. Sam turned his attention to the teen sitting under the tree, hugging his knees to his chest and rocking back and forth. His head was resting on his arms and his face was hidden from view.

"Hey buddy, can you tell me what happened?"

Kendall looked up and Sam felt a surge of anger looking at the boy's bruised and bloody face. He knelt down next to him and carefully reached out, stopping when Kendall shied away from his touch. The boy started shaking and mumbled something.

"I can't understand you son, can you say that again?" Sam asked.

"He left me there, he left me there, he left me there," Kendall started chanting.


	12. Chapter 12

The boys were quiet on the drive to Anaheim. Carlos was still angry at James and would throw a glare his way every now and then, but James didn't seem to notice, he was too lost in his own thoughts.

Logan looked at his two friends, unsure of what to say. On one hand he could understand James' feelings of betrayal, on the other hand, Camille and Carlos were right. Kendall would never do what James, and he, thought he'd done.

Harrison looked at them through the rearview mirror wondering what was bothering the normally lively teens. "Is everything alright sirs?"

Carlos was sitting facing the rear of the limo, so he turned around and kneeled on the seat, poking his head through the partition. "Can I ask you something?" Carlos asked quietly.

"Of course Mr. Carlos, how may I help you?"

"When you brought Kendall home last night, who else was in the limo?"

"I'm afraid I didn't drive Mr. Kendall home last night, sir. Mr. Griffin has hired a service since I will be with you and the other boys on these day long excursions," Harrison said.

"Oh," Carlos said, disappointed. He'd been hoping Harrison could confirm what Kendall had told him so that he could prove to James that Kendall wasn't lying.

"I believe the driver's name is Parker though. He drove for Mr. Griffin while I was on vacation last year," Harrison said.

Carlos sighed, "I guess we won't be seeing him."

"There's a good chance that I will, was there something you needed?" Harrison asked.

"Will you see him tonight or tomorrow before we leave?" Carlos asked hopeful.

"I believe so," Harrison smiled.

"Great! Could you ask him what I asked you?"

"Certainly," Harrison said.

"Thanks Harrison, you're the best!" Carlos said as he sat back down.

After riding in silence for a few more minutes Logan decided to try and break the tension. "So, what do you guys want to see first?"

"I don't know," James said.

"Carlos?"

"Maybe the Star Wars one?" Carlos said without much enthusiasm.

"That sounds good, I was thinking the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," Logan smiled.

Carlos looked at James who was staring out the window, "James, didn't you always want to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean?"

"Yeah, we can do whatever though," James said quietly.

Carlos sighed, knowing he needed to apologize. He couldn't very well be mad at Logan for taking sides when he was doing the same thing. "I'm sorry I punched you, I shouldn't have done that. I know you're hurting too, and I'm still here for you," Carlos said softly.

"It's okay, I deserved it. I shouldn't have said what I said," James said.

Carlos looked at Logan sadly. He wished he hadn't promised Kendall not to tell about the cologne. He knew it would help to make things better if James only knew. He had an idea and turned around and poked his head back through the partition.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Of course Mr. Carlos," Harrison said.

"If you promise someone NOT to tell someone else something, even if you know it'll make things better, is it okay to tell someone else and THEY can tell the first someone that you promised not to tell?" Carlos asked.

Harrison was quiet for a moment as he sorted through what the teen had asked. "Will someone be in danger if you don't?"

"No..."

"Then I'm afraid that telling someone else with the hopes that they will tell the person about whom the promise was made, would still be breaking that promise, sir," Harrison told him.

"Darn it," Carlos said. He was thinking that if he explained to Logan about the cologne HE could tell James and Carlos would still be keeping his promise.

"I am sorry Mr. Carlos, but that would be my interpretation of it," Harrison said.

"It's okay, I kinda of figured it was a long shot," Carlos said as he sat back down.

Logan looked at him, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Carlos said.

Logan sighed and looked over at James, who was still staring out the window. "James, maybe you should call Kendall, if only to apologize for this morning. I think you'll feel better."

James looked over at him, "I know I should, but I just don't know."

"Know what? Just call him and say you're sorry for what happened this morning. This way it'll be out of the way and you can get through the day without worrying about it," Logan said.

"I'm NOT worried about it," James snapped.

"You should be," Carlos said quietly.

"Why? I didn't start this," James said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You did this morning. All Kendall needed was the car keys and you said TWO mean things about him," Carlos said, trying not to lose his temper again.

"Yeah, well maybe he shouldn't be...doing what he's doing," James hissed, not wanting Harrison to hear.

"Well maybe he's NOT doing what you think he's doing," Carlos said.

James went to respond but Logan pushed the button to close the partition and glared at his two friends. "Stop it! Stop it NOW! James just call him and Carlos, calm down," Logan ordered.

"Fine, I'll call him," James said, pulling out his phone. He punched in Kendall's number and waited for either Kendall to answer or his voicemail. He had no idea what to say but he needed to get the apology over with.

It rang four times when Kendall answered, his voice was hushed, "H-Hello?"

James heard the hesitation in Kendall's voice and immediately regretted calling. "Hey, I just wanted to say I was sorry for what I said this morning. It was a mean thing to say and I'm sorry."

"I-It's okay. James we really need to talk and..." Kendall started.

"Look, I just called to say I was sorry and that's it. What I said before still goes, I don't want to talk to you for awhile. I have to go now, bye," James said as he hung up.

He looked over and saw both of his friends staring at him, "What?"

"That was a terrible apology," Logan said.

"I said I would apologize, I didn't say I was going to talk to him," James said, putting his phone away.

Carlos shook his head, "Not cool James, really not cool."

"Well I'm sorry, but it's the best I can do right now," James said, turning to look back out the window. He was getting close to breaking down, but refused to allow it. Right now it was just easier to keep his distance from Kendall and he didn't want to fight about it, it was his decision.

Kendall was answering questions when he felt his phone vibrate. He glanced at the screen and stood up. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. I'll be right back," he said ignoring Griffin's glares as he left the room.

He hit talk as he headed for the hallway. His heart was pounding so hard that he was sure it was going to burst from his chest.. "H-Hello?"

James voice came on the line, "Hey, I just wanted to say I was sorry for what I said this morning. It was a mean thing to say and I'm sorry."

Kendall smiled a little and felt his eyes tear up, "I-It's okay. James we really need to talk and..."

"Look, I just called to say I was sorry and that's it. What I said before still goes, I don't want to talk to you for awhile. I have to go now, bye," James said and then hung up.

Kendall stood there looking at his phone and felt his heart break in two.

"Finished?" Griffin asked in an annoyed tone.

"I guess so," Kendall said as he followed Griffin back to the office.

An hour later the question and answer session had ended and Griffin's people were going over the predictions for the next year's profits.

Kendall stared at the screen, not listening, not caring. He was going over what had happened the day before, trying to put everything together. He glanced at Griffin and wondered why he'd told James that he was out with Jessica and decided that when they broke for lunch, he was going to ask him.

About half an hour later Griffin told everyone that lunch would be waiting in the conference room and that they would continue the meeting there at about two. Everyone wandered out, but Kendall stayed where he was. Griffin looked at him, "Do want me to have lunch brought in for you again?"

"I'm not really hungry. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Griffin said.

"Why did you tell James that I was out with Jessica last night?" Kendall asked.

"He must have misunderstood. He came by when we were on a break and I told him that after the meeting I would have Jessica take you home and, depending on what time we finished, stop and get you some dinner," Griffin said.

Kendall looked at the older man and knew he was lying, but he didn't know why. "That's probably it then."

"Why?" Griffin asked.

"We were suppose to do something and he thought I blew him off," Kendall said carefully.

"Well, do you want me to speak with him?"

"No, that's okay. I'm sure he'll get over it," Kendall said, not taking his eyes off of Griffin.

Griffin started getting fidgety under the teen's stare and broke eye contact. "Well, I'll have Eileen bring you some lunch."

"Thank you," Kendall said still watching him.

"I'll see you later," Griffin said as he walked out the door.

Kendall pulled out his phone and dialed James' number and when it went to voicemail he called Carlo. "Hey buddy, how are things there?" Carlos asked.

"Hey, I really need to talk to James. I asked Griffin about what he said last night and he's lying about something."

"Okay, hold on," Carlos said. Kendall could hear Carlos say something and then James tell him, no.

For a minutes there was silence and then James came on the line, "What?"

"James, I really need to talk to you about Griffin. He lied to you last night and he just lied to me about what he said to you," Kendall rushed out.

"Look, I don't know how many times I have to say this but I don't want to talk to you right now," James said.

"James please! I asked Griffin why he told you I was out with Jessica and he said that that's not what he said," Kendall told him.

"Oh, so now I'm a liar?" James asked.

"No, what I'm saying..." Kendall started.

"You know what? I never thought that I'd have to worry you hurting me the way Jo hurt you, but I guess I was wrong! Maybe you two were a perfect match after all. Now STOP calling me!" James yelled as he hung up.

Kendall sat there trying to breathe and fighting back tears. "That's not true, that's not what happened," he said quietly. The door opened and he quickly put his phone away and tried to look like nothing was wrong.

"Lunch," Eileen smiled.

"Thank you," Kendall said, not meeting her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

Kendall nodded, "Just a headache."

"I have some ibuprofen," Eileen offered.

"That'd be great," Kendall said.

She left and returned a minute later. "Here you go," she said holding out a small bottle.

"Thank you," Kendall said as he poured two out.

"Anytime, if you need more and I'm not at my desk, the bottle is in the top right hand drawer," she said.

He gave her a small smile and nodded, "Thanks."

"If you need anything else, just let me know," she smiled as she closed the door behind her.

Kendall pushed the lunch tray away and went and grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. He swallowed the two pills and sat back down, debating on calling Carlos, but decided against it. He couldn't understand where everything went wrong, he loved James so much and now he was losing him.

He sat there lost in thought when he felt something wet on his hand. He looked down and saw a drop blood, "Great, just what I need." He grabbed a napkin from the tray and held it to his face, applying pressure to the bridge of his nose. Once the bleeding stopped he got up and went to the restroom and washed his face.

Kendall's phone vibrated and he looked at the screen, "Hey Carlos."

"Are you okay? I would have called sooner but we had a bunch of fans show up," Carlos said.

"I'm fine," Kendall said.

Carlos sighed, "James is just being...stupid. What were you trying to tell him?"

"It doesn't matter," Kendall said as he walked back to the office.

"Kendall..."

"I'm sorry Carlos, I'm just really tired right now. I think I'm going to try and get a little rest before the meeting starts back up," Kendall said wearily.

"Alright, but I want to know what you found out," Carlos said.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," Kendall said as he sat down.

"Please eat something though, you didn't have any breakfast."

"I know, I'll see you tonight," Kendall said as he hung up. He finished drinking his orange juice and took a bite of his sandwich. A few minutes later he found it hard to keep his eyes open so he rested his head on his arms and was soon asleep.

The meet and greet ended and Carlos grabbed James by the arm and pulled him to the side. "How could you say those things to him? How could you be so mean!?"

"Look, I told him I didn't want to talk to him and I meant it. I asked him to give me some time and instead he calls me with some lame story about Griffin and calling me a liar!" James snapped.

"That is NOT what he meant and you know it!" Carlos said.

"Will you two quiet down? Do you really want people to overhear this conversation?" Logan said as he joined them.

"No," the other boys said.

"James I know you're upset, but that was really low," Logan said as he pushed James and Carlos into an empty room.

"You know what? I don't care right now, I'm mad and I have every right to be mad. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hang out with a couple of fans who asked me to join them for lunch," James said as he pushed past his two friends.

"What are we going to do?" Carlos asked quietly as he watched his friend storm off.

"I don't know Carlos, hopefully we can get him to listen tonight. Right now we should probably just let him have his space," Logan said.

James got outside and took off running. He knew he shouldn't have said what he said, but he was was exhausted and couldn't take anymore. He knew he should have given Kendall a chance to explain, but it all hurt too much and he was afraid. Afraid that if he let Kendall back in right now, that their friendship would be over too, and he couldn't take that.

He slowed to a walk and just kept going, lost in his own thoughts. Kendall was the first person he'd ever truly been in love with. The first person he trusted to let in all the way, and now this. He thought about what his mom would do in this situation and took a deep breath. "Shields in place," James thought to himself as he forced a smile on his face.

The first thing he was aware of was the pain that wracked his body, the second was that he was incredibly cold. He could hear muted sounds of voices and traffic and struggled to open his eyes. He finally managed to open them and looked around in confusion, he was lying on the ground next to a dumpster.

He tried to sit up and a horrific pain shot through him. He fought back tears as he managed to pull himself upright. Using the dumpster to steady himself, he managed to stand. Sharp pain went through both his legs and up his spine and his legs threatened to give out. He bit his lip as he pulled himself over to the brick wall, using it for support.

He took a tentative step and the pain shot through him again. He let out a strangled cry, but managed to stay on his feet. He took another step and nearly doubled over from the pain. He continued pulling himself along the wall until he reached the end of the alley. He looked around trying to find a landmark and saw the park across the street.

"Home," he said as he pushed off the wall and made for the street. He rested against a lamppost to try and catch his breath, and jumped when it turned on after a moment. He realized it was getting late and took a deep breath as he made his way to the street. He stepped off the curb and his legs gave out and he landed on his knees.

Someone grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back up. "Hey, are you okay?" an older man asked.

Kendall pulled away, shaking.

"What happened to you?" the man asked still advancing towards him.

Kendall shook his head and backed into the street, narrowly avoided being hit by a sedan. They honked and adrenaline kicked in and Kendall hurried across the street. His chest and abdomen were hurting now and his legs were getting weaker. He could barely take the pain so he rested against a tree. After a moment he slid down until he was curled up on his side at the base of the tree.

Kendall struggled through the fog in his mine, trying to remember what had happened and how he got here. One thing made it's way through the confusion...James. Kendall sat up, ignoring the shooting pain that went up his spine and hugged his knees to his chest. He could barely keep his head up so he rested it on his arms. He felt tears welling up in his eyes as James' words came back to him.

He started rocking back and forth as desperation took over. He knew something bad had happened but he couldn't remember what. He only remembered begging James to help him and James telling him to go away. "He left me there," Kendall whispered.

He heard a voice and looked up. Mr. Roberts was kneeling next to him and asking him something. Kendall pulled back when he reached out to him.

"I can't understand you son, can you say that again?"

"He left me there, he left me there, he left me there," Kendall whispered again.

"Who left you where?" Sam asked gently.

"Hey, is he alright? He ran into the street and nearly got hit." Sam looked over and saw an older man in a business suit standing about ten yards away. He was holding a phone and pointing towards Kendall.

"Did you see what happened?" Sam asked.

The man shook his head, "He came out of the alley, looks like someone worked him over pretty good. Do you know him?"

Sam nodded, "He's a friend of the family."

"Do you want me to call the police?"

"Yeah, could you tell them what you saw? Also, tell them that my name is Samuel Roberts and I'm a retired detective. I'd wait for them but I think it would freak him out more than anything. Let them know that I'm going to be taking him to Cedars-Sinai and they can meet us there," Sam said, turning his attention back to Kendall. The teen was still hugging his knees and his eyes were squeezed shut.

"Kendall, can you talk to me?" Sam asked softly.

Kendall looked at him, "I-I know you?"

Sam smiled, "Yes, I'm Camille's dad, remember?"

"C-Cami?"

"Yes, Cami. Can you tell me who did this to you?" Sam asked.

Kendall shook his head and started shaking again.

"Are you cold?" Sam asked, taking off his jacket.

Kendall nodded.

"Okay, I'm going to put this around your shoulders," Sam said as he moved to wrap it around the boy.

Kendall tensed up and Sam stopped for a second. "I'm not going to hurt you," he promised. Kendall nodded and Sam wrapped it around him.

"Dad!" Camille called from the street where she'd parked the car.

He waved to her, "I might need your help."

Camille nodded and headed over to him. She stared in shock at Kendall, his left eye was swollen, his lower lip was split, and bruises covered most of his face. She felt her eyes tear up, "Oh, Kendall."

"He's going to be okay, right buddy?" Sam asked.

Kendall didn't answer, just pulled the jacket tighter around him.

Sam looked at Camille, "We need to get him to the car, then I want you to call Olivia and have her meet us at the hospital."

Camille nodded, "Okay."

"Kendall, do you think you can stand?" Sam asked.

When he didn't look up or answer Camille kneeled down next to him and took his hand, "Come on Kendall, we'll help you."

He looked at her and took a ragged breath, "H-He left me there, he hates me."

Camille reached over and brushed his bangs back, "Sweetie he doesn't hate you, but I promise that I'm gonna slap him into next Sunday if he doesn't straighten up."

"She'll do it too," Sam smiled.

"H-Home," Kendall said.

"We'll take you home after we get you checked out," Sam promised, taking Kendall's left hand. Kendall yanked it back and cradled it in his other hand.

"Let me see," Sam said gently. He pulled back the sleeve a little and winced when he saw the swollen and discolored wrist. He knew there was a good chance that it was broken.

"Who did this?" Camille asked, tears in her eyes.

Kendall shook his head and started rocking back and forth again.

"Alright, let's get you to the car," Sam said, taking Kendall's upper arm and pulling him up. He steadied Kendall on the left and Camille put his right arm around her neck. "Let's go slowly," Sam said.

Camille nodded and they had only taken a few steps before Kendall screamed and doubled over. Sam held him up as best he could, but knew his back wouldn't let him hold the teen up for long. He shook his head, "This isn't going to work, I can't carry him," he said as he carefully lowered Kendall to the ground.

Kendall curled up on the ground, nearly hyperventilating. Camille sat next to him and pulled his head into her lap. She stroked his hair, "It's okay, you just need to breathe."

Sam silently cursed himself and his weak back as he pulled out his phone to call an ambulance. He'd wanted to avoid putting the boy through that, but it seemed as if he had no choice.

"Do you need help?"

"YES!" Camille said, looking up at Jett Stetson.

"What happened?" Jett asked.

"I think he was mugged. I have a bad back and can't get him to the car," Sam said.

"I can help, if you think he'll let me," Jett offered. There was no love loss between the two young men, but things had been more amicable since Jo had left.

"That would be great, I really don't want to have to call an ambulance," Sam said gratefully.

"Daddy, maybe we should just drive the car over here?" Camille suggested.

Sam nodded and Jett gave him a hand up. "That'll help," he said. He walked over to his car and drove it through the park to where the others were waiting.

Camille leaned down and whispered in Kendall's ear, "Try not to say anything, Jett's helping us get you into the car."

Kendall nodded. The pain had lessened once he was off his feet and he felt his head getting thick again, "H-Home."

"Soon sweetie," Camille promised.

"Alright, let's try this again," Sam said.

"Where do you want me?" Jett asked.

"If you could that the right, I'll take the left," Sam said.

Jett nodded.

"Okay buddy, you ready to do this?" Sam asked Kendall.

Kendall nodded although he only understood a few words of what Sam was saying.

"Camille, you sit in back with him and call Olivia once we have him strapped in," Sam said.

Camille nodded, "Okay."

Sam looked at Jett, "We need to be careful, he might have some broken bones."

Jett nodded and put his arms under Kendall, lifting him off Camille's lap. She quickly scooted out and went to stand by her dad's car.

A minute later Sam and Jett had Kendall up and moving slowly to the car. Kendall's legs wouldn't hold him so Jett supported most of his weight.

"He's not looking so good, maybe we should call an ambulance?" Jett suggested.

"I can get him there faster and don't think he'd tolerate it very well. I have a friend who's a doctor and she's very good at making sure that people aren't bothered by the press," Sam said.

"That's a good thing, the paparazzi can be relentless," Jett said as they got to the car. Jett climbed in the back, pulling Kendall with him. He climbed out the other side and held Kendall's shoulders up as Camille got in. She put on her seatbelt and pulled Kendall's head back into her lap.

"Thanks Jett, I really appreciate it," Camille said.

He nodded, "Let me know how he's doing."

"I will," she promised.

Sam reached in and loosened the seatbelt and then pulled it under and around Kendall and latched it. The teen whimpered, but didn't say anything.

Sam closed the door and then climbed in the driver's side. "Call Olivia and tell her we should be there in about fifteen minutes."

Camille nodded and pulled out her phone. She dialed a number and when they answered explained what was going on. "Okay, thank you," she said and hung up. "She just left so she's turning around, she should get there about the same time we we do. She said she'll call the hospital and let them know we're on our way."

"Thanks honey, how's he doing?"

Camille looked down at her friend. His eyes were closed and he was taking quick, shallow breaths. "I'm not sure, please hurry daddy."

"I'm going as fast as I can sweetheart, we should be there soon," Sam said trying to reassure his daughter.

"Okay."

"Do you have Jennifer's number?" Sam asked.

"No, I'm but sure the guys do. Did you want me to call Logan?"

"Yeah, just tell him that I need to ask her something. I don't want them panicking right now," Sam said.

Camille dialed Logan's number and it rang four times before going to voicemail. She put her hand over the receiver, "He's not answering, do you want me to leave a message/"

"Just tell him to call you back," Sam said as he pulled into the hospital emergency parking lot.

"Hey Logan, it's Camille can you call me when you get this?" she asked and then hung up.

Sam got out and ran inside, returning a moment later with nurses, medics, and a gurney. A tall, attractive woman with auburn hair styled in a short bob, was talking to Sam as they walked to the car. Olivia Burns had been friends with Sam and Janine Roberts since high school. She moved to California to attend Stanford Medical University, but she'd remained good friends with the Roberts.

"You're going to be okay, Olivia will take care of you," Camille promised Kendall.

Sam opened Camille's door and Olivia smiled at Camille, "Hey kiddo, how's he doing?"

"I think he's sleeping," Camille said, smiling back in relief.

"Let's take a look," Olivia said climbing in on the rear driver's side. She sat on the edge of the seat and pulled the stethoscope from around her neck. She carefully placed the chest piece over Kendall's heart and listened and then moved it to his lungs.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know, we were walking in the park and found him lying under a tree," Camille said.

"Someone else said they saw him come out of an alley and run into traffic," Sam told her.

Olivia nodded, "Let's get him inside." She climbed out and directed the medics as they pulled Kendall out of the car. A minute later they had him secured to the gurney and rushed him inside to one of the actual rooms used for trauma.

Olivia looked at the head nurse, "Let's get his vitals and I want a full blood panel, including a PCV and CBC."

"They did bloodwork the other day and the doctor said he's anemic," Camille said.

"Do you know who the doctor was?" Olivia asked.

"No, just someone that Griffin brought in," Camille said.

"Griffin?" Olivia asked as she put an oxygen mask on the teen.

"His boss, they sent home iron pills and vitamins," Camille said.

"Do you know when?"

"He started not feeling well last Friday and I think he saw the doctor on Monday," Camille said, trying to remember the conversations with Logan.

"He only sent home supplements?"

Camille nodded.

"Camille, I know he's your friend but I need you to tell me if he uses drugs," Olivia said, as she shined a light in Kendall's eyes.

"What! No, why?"

"His eyes are dilated...but there are also signs of pitikia," Olivia said.

"What's that?" Camille asked.

"Broken blood vessels," Olivia said as she pushed Kendall's collar down and saw dark bruising around his throat. "Let's get a collar on him and his jacket off," she told the nurse.

"Careful, I think his left arm may be broken," Sam said.

Olivia checked Kendall's arm while the nurse put a cervical collar around his neck. A moment later they had managed to get his jacket off. "We're going to need pictures of his arm and neck," Olivia told the nurse who nodded and went to call the radiologist.

Another nurse handed her a clipboard and Olivia went over the information. "Temp is 95.2, his PCV is at 32% and his platelet count is at 79,000. Let's get him started on ringers and put a rush on the rest of the bloodwork. Do a blood type and match for a possible transfusion," Olivia ordered.

"Yes doctor," the nurse said and ran off to gather supplies.

"We need a warming blanket and let's put in a call to his boss to find out the doctor's name so we can get the previous blood results for comparison. We also need to contact his parents, " Olivia said.

"His mom's put of town and I don't have her number, but I left a message for Logan and he should be calling me back anytime," Camille said.

"What about his dad?"

"He died a few years ago," Camille said.

"Maybe his phone?" a nurse asked as she pulled it and his wallet from his jacket pocket.

Olivia took it and tried to turn it on. "Battery's dead, could you see if we can find a charger to fit it please?" Olivia asked, handing it back to the nurse.

"Wait a minute, he has his wallet and phone?" Sam asked, picking up Kendall's jacket. He opened the wallet, "Debit card, driver's license, and twenty-two dollars cash."

"Why, what's the problem?" Olivia asked.

"We thought it was a mugging...what mugger leaves cash behind?"

Olivia looked down at Kendall and took one of his hands, "Did you notice that there's no blood on his clothes or hands?"

Sam looked at the jacket and realized she was right, "What the hell is going on?"

She pushed Kendall's bangs back to take a closer look at the wounds on his face. "These are new, so are the bruises on his throat." She put her face closer and sniffed Kendall's hair, "It smells like his hair has just been washed, and with an expensive smelling shampoo." She ran her fingers through the hair on sides and back of head, "It's still damp underneath."

Sam looked over at his daughter, "Cami, can you try calling Logan again?"

She nodded and started for the hallway. "Why don't you go wait in my office until we get him into a room," Olivia suggested.

"Okay," Camille said quietly and left to call Logan again.

"Let's bypass calling his boss. Call all the labs and find out where the bloodwork was done and have them send the results immediately," Olivia said to the head nurse.

The nurse nodded and headed to the nurse's station to make the calls. Olivia picked up the phone in the room and called the hospital lab. "This is Dr. Burns in the ER, I need you to add testing for controlled substances to Kendall Knight's bloodwork. Make sure you include all known predatory drugs as well, and I need that stat. Yes...thank you."

"The catheter is finally in doctor, his veins are are terrible and I blew two of them," the head nurse said apologetically.

"It's alright, run ringers at 250 ml. per hour until we get the rest of his bloodwork back. Call the hematologist and let them know we may be sending them the results for interpretation," Olivia said.

"Yes Dr. Burns," she said and went to make the call.

Kendall stirred and Olivia reached down and squeezed his hand. "Kendall, can you hear me?"

"M-Mama?"

She smiled and brushed his hair back, "No sweetheart, we're trying to get ahold of her though. My name's Olivia and I'm a friend of Sam and Camille's."

Kendall tried to focus on what she was saying but it felt like his head was going to explode. "C-Cami?"

"That's right, she's out in the hallway calling your friend, Logan."

Kendall's breathing picked up, "He left me there."

"Who left you where sweetie?"

"I c-called him and asked him to help me and he left me there," Kendall said, his eyes filling with tears.

Olivia looked at Sam. "I think he's talking about his friend, James," he said.

"Kendall, can you tell me what happened? Where did you need him to get you from?" Olivia asked.

"Don't 'member," he said, starting to close his eyes.

"Kendall, stay with me. Can you tell me where you hurt?" Olivia asked.

"Ev'ryting hurts," he said, slurring his words.

"What hurts the most?"

"Wanna sleep," he whimpered.

"In just a minute, I need to you to tell me where it hurts," Olivia repeated.

"Huh?" Kendall said as he lost consciousness.

The monitors staring beeping, "Blood pressure has dropped to 80/40 the nurse reported."

"Damn it... alright I need a 20 gauge catheter and get that blood up here. Prepare for an external jugular stick," Olivia ordered as she checked the other monitors.

The nurse brought her a tray as Olivia undid the cervical collar. She pulled on some gloves and swabbed Kendall's neck and then took the catheter that the nurse had opened for her. Another nurse came running in with two bags filled with blood and hung them on the IV pole at the head of the bed.

"Pressure's down to 70/40, respiration is at 30, pulse is thready," the nurse reported.

"Alright, open ringers full and pull up .50 Epi. Don't administer it unless I give the go ahead though," Olivia ordered. She took a deep breath and inserted the catheter into Kendall's jugular. It flashed and she pulled the needle and secured the catheter with tape. Then she took the line from the first bag of blood and attached it to the catheter, and opened it full. She released the breath she'd been holding when it flowed properly.

"Blood pressure is back up to 80/40," the nurse said.

"Good continue close monitoring," Olivia said.

Another nurse came in with a clipboard, "Blood results."

"Thank you,"Olivia said grabbing it and going over the paperwork. She looked over at Sam and motioned for him to join her.

"What is it?"

"Tested positive for a low dose of Ketamine. There's also another drug that they haven't been able to identify yet."

"Damn it," Sam cursed.

"We need to notify the police," Olivia said.

"They should be here any minute. The man who saw him come from the alley was calling them," Sam told her.

Olivia nodded and looked over at the nurses who were monitoring, "Get him into a gown, put on gloves, and bag and tag everything."

The head nurse nodded and and grabbed some evidence bags from the cupboard. "Is it alright to cut them or do you want us to try and remove them in one piece?"

"Cutting's fine, I don't want to risk moving him right now. Just make sure everything that goes together IS together."

The nurse nodded and got some blunt nosed scissors from the drawer and sat them on the bed next to Kendall. Another nurse held the bags open for her as she dropped first his shoes, and then his socks into separate bags and labeled each one.

She picked up the scissors and carefully cut the left leg of his jeans, just above the outer seam. She was nearly up to his knee when she saw a bruise that nearly circled his ankle. She continued cutting until she saw a similar bruise around the top of his knee. "Doctor..."

"Yes?" Olivia asked.

The nurse gestured for her and Olivia walked over to the woman. She pointed at the unusual bruises and Olivia gently touched them. "Keep going," she said.

The nurse nodded and cut the jeans until she reached the waistband.

Olivia pulled the cloth apart and saw similar bruising go up his leg, stopping about eight inches from the top of his thigh. She looked over at Sam and nodded.

He clenched his jaw as he pulled out his phone to make sure that the police were on their way.


	13. Chapter 13

This chapter shows what happened before Kendall was found at the park. Warning: can be triggering.

The boys had regrouped and met for dinner with the investor's children at the Hungry Bear Restaurant at 6:30. Griffin had reserved the banquet room for them, so it was just the boys, the kids and their interpreters, and a few fans. James had returned with two girl fans and was sitting and chatting with them, being his usual charming self.

"How can he be like this?" Carlos asked Logan as he watched their friend. He was both angry and sad, not understanding how James could act happy when Carlos knew his heart was broken.

"Some people react to pain and loss differently," Logan said.

"He hasn't LOST anything, all he has to do is listen," Carlos said, shaking his head.

"What is he suppose to listen to? You asked Harrison something and wouldn't say what it was, what do you know?" Logan asked.

"I can't tell, I promised," Carlos said sadly.

"Promised who... Kendall?" Logan asked suspiciously.

"Yes, and it's not what you think!" Carlos hissed, noting the look on Logan's face.

"Will it help?" Logan asked.

"I think it will, but Kendall said that it isn't the problem," Carlos said.

"What isn't the problem?" Logan asked, looking around to make sure that no one could hear their conversation.

"The perfume," Carlos said, knowing it wasn't breaking the promise since Logan already knew about it.

"I thought it was for Mrs. Knight?"

Carlos shook his head, "That's not what it was."

"Carlos, you need to tell if it will help things," Logan said.

"I promised," Carlos said, shaking his head again.

"Who did you promise not to tell?"

"James," Carlos said sadly.

"Okay, but not me?"

"I already asked Harrison and he said if I tell you so you can tell James, it's still breaking a promise," Carlos explained.

"What if I don't tell James what it is, but tell him that we both know what it is and that it's not what he thinks?" Logan asked.

"How will that work?"

"Well, deep down he knows that Kendall would never do what he thinks he's done, so if we explain that he's wrong about the perfume..."

"Then maybe he'll realize that he's wrong about the rest too?" Carlos finished.

"Exactly," Logan said,

Carlos was torn. He didn't want to break his promise to Kendall, but he knew that Logan was right. If they could convince James that he was wrong about one thing, maybe he'd realize he was wrong about the others. Then everyone could be happy again and things could go back to normal. After a couple of minutes he took a deep breath and told Logan what he knew.

James had spent the afternoon with Aimee, Cari, and their friends. He'd invited Aimee and Cari to join him for dinner, hoping to avoid any further conversations with his two friends about Kendall. He'd put up a wall and didn't want anyone breaking through right now.

He glanced over and saw Carlos and Logan talking about something and hoped they'd just leave him alone about it all. He checked his phone and sighed, his mom hadn't called him back. Thinking about it he realized that Mrs. Knight had never returned his calls either. "Hopefully they're having fun," he thought to himself.

"James are you listening?" Aimee, the blonde, asked.

"Sorry, just seeing if my mom had called," James smiled.

"That's so sweet," she said, smiling back.

"She's coming to town in a couple of days so I'm waiting to see what she wants to do," he said.

"I'd love to meet her," Aimee said, wrapping her arm around his.

"We'll have to see. She's kind of hard on girlfriends," he told her.

She smiled broadly at that and he realized that she'd taken what he said the wrong way. He tried to think of a nice way to tell her that that wasn't what he'd meant when his phone rang. He looked at the phone and saw a number he didn't recognize it.

"This might be her calling from the hotel," he said standing up and walking towards the other side of the room where it was quieter. "Hello?"

There was a muffled sound on the line and he couldn't quite make out a voice. "Hello, is anyone there?"

"J-Jamie?"

James bristled at the sound of Kendall's voice, "Why are you calling me? Didn't I make myself clear this morning and NOW you're calling from a different number so I won't know it's you?"

"No... Jamie please, I need help. S-Something bad happened...it's hurts so much," Kendall said, his voice sounded hushed and strange.

"Call your girlfriend," James snapped.

"Please Jamie, she's not my girlfriend and it hurts so bad," Kendall pleaded.

"This is the last time I'm going to say this, STOP calling me that. You are really pushing it now so I guess that means you don't care about our friendship either."

"N-No, James please! You don't understand..." Kendall sobbed.

"Go away and stop doing this to me!" James said, his voice breaking. He hung up and headed outside, trying not to cry.

Griffin looked at the time and saw it was close to two. He smiled a little, knowing Kendall must have fallen asleep again. He nodded to Jessica who called fifteen minute break. She busied herself handing out refreshments while Griffin walked down to his office. He smiled at Eileen and told her that they should be wrapping things up shortly so she could go ahead and leave for the day. She thanked him and gathered her things as he went into his office.

He saw Kendall at the table, sleeping with his head on his arms. He smiled to himself as he saw the juice bottle, "Things are finally progressing quite nicely."

"Hmm?" Kendall murmured.

"I said you should lie down for awhile. It can't be too comfortable resting like that," Griffin said.

"Sorry," Kendall mumbled, sitting up.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. Now you lie down and I'll get you some water," Griffin said, pulling the teen up from the chair. He helped Kendall over to the couch and then went to the fridge and got a bottle of water. "Drink this," he said sitting down and opening the bottle.

Kendall shook his head but Griffin put the bottle to his lips and he was forced to take a drink. Griffin waited for the boy to swallow before doing it again. "No more," Kendall mumbled as he curled up.

"I'll be back to check on you soon," Griffin said, running his fingers through the blond hair. He set the bottle on the end table and stood up. He smiled down at the sleeping teen and then headed back to the conference room.

About an hour later the meeting wrapped up and Griffin waited for the investors to leave. Jessica smiled as she sat down next to him at the table, "Well that was a success."

"So it would seem," Griffin said standing up.

"Where are you going daddy? I thought we could play for awhile," Jessica said with a slight pout.

"Later, I have another play date at the moment," Griffin said.

She stood up and wrapped her arms around him, "I could join you."

"Not this time, I like to break in my toys alone," Griffin said as he pulled away from her.

"But Artie, what am I suppose to do?"

"Go get something polished or colored or waxed. I'll call you when I'm finished and we can play later," he said, pulling out his wallet and handing her some money.

She smiled, "Anything you say daddy." She and Griffin walked out and down the hallway, Jessica stopping at the elevators.

"Have fun," she waved as the doors opened.

"I intend to," Griffin said as he walked to his office. He locked the outer office doors and then went into his office, locking that door behind him. He pulled a chair over to the couch and watched Kendall as he slept. About twenty minutes later he cleared his throat and watched as the teen's eyes slowly started to open and smiled to himself.

He got up and went over and sat down next to the teen, running his fingers through the soft locks again. He leaned down and whispered into the boy's ear, "Why don't I take you someplace where we can get comfortable?"

"Hmm?"

Griffin smiled again as he took the boy by the arms and pulled him up, "We need to get comfortable."

Kendall tried to focus on what Griffin was saying and tried pulling away. He didn't like the way the older man was staring at him and he didn't understand why he could barely move. "Home," he managed to get out.

"Later," Griffin said as he firmly guided the boy to a door. He opened it and pulled Kendall through with him. It was a luxurious bathroom complete with spa, but Griffin continued pulling Kendall to the other side where he hit what looked to be a light switch on the wall. A mirrored panel slid open and revealed a room on the other side. Kendall continued trying to pull away as Griffin pulled him into the large room.

"My home away from home," Griffin smirked as he hit a button and the door slid closed.

Kendall's heart raced as he looked around the room. It had every cliché of a rich playboy bachelor pad, from the zebraprint skin rug in front of the fireplace to the oversized round bed, complete with mirror on the ceiling.

Griffin smiled as he pulled Kendall close and wrapped his arms around his waist. Griffin nuzzled Kendall's neck as he pulled him closer. Kendall tried to push away, but had no strength and felt his legs start to give out from under him. Griffin pushed his right leg in-between Kendall's and rubbed against him. He was supporting most of Kendall's weight now and the boy started panicking as he felt a bulge rub against him.

"No," Kendall managed to choke out.

Griffin just smirked again as he unceremoniously released him. Kendall hit the rug and he yelped as he landed with his left hand down and he felt something in his wrist crack. He tried to get up but only managed to roll over onto his back. Griffin smiled down at him and then walked over to a chest of drawers and pulled out what looked to be a shaving kit. Griffin set it on the table and leaned against an odd looking burgundy leather chaise lounge. It reminded him of the shape of a race car with a higher sloping back that curved down and then ended in a lower slope.

Kendall managed to get his legs to work enough to scoot back until he hit a wall.

Griffin smiled at him in amusement, "Well, it seems we hit upon the right combination."

"W-What?"

"The pharmaceutical division of RCM CBT Sanyoid. We've been working on developing new anesthetic protocols, this one is a mix of Ketamine and a new drug which decreases recovery time and increases the Twilight anxiolysis effects. The first day the Ketamine was too strong which is why you were out so quickly and for so long. We decreased it the next time and it was too low, you woke up too quickly. Then it was just play around with it and now the doctor seems to have gotten it right. At one third the original dose you're able to comprehend what I'm telling you. When we're finished I'll give you the rest and you won't remember a thing."

Kendall looked at him in shock, "Why?"

"Because there is a LOT of money in pharmaceuticals. Even if it's not approved for years, the street sales alone will garner millions. Besides...the next part is fun I and ALWAYS take advantage of any potential perks."

Kendall shook his head and tried to stand but was still too weak.

Griffin smirked again as he removed his jacket and folded it, lying it neatly on top of the chest of drawers. He removed his watch and set it on the table and then picked up the small leather bag. He opened it and started placing the items on the table. "I don't suppose you've ever seen these but you're definitely going to want me to use them. You see I believe in careful preparation, it leaves less of a chance of being...accused of anything. I take my time with prep and with clean up... no muss, no fuss."

Kendall felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest as he listened to the older man ramble on. He remembered his phone in his back pocket and willed his arms to move. He managed to get it out while Griffin was still setting up and tried to unlock the screen with one hand. He finally got it to unlock but before he could hit James' number on speed dial, Griffin took it from him. He turned the phone off and slapped Kendall hard across the cheek.

Kendall's eyes watered as he glared up at him and Griffin smiled and ran his hand through the boy's hair, "There's that naughty, bad boy attitude that I like." He set the phone on the table next to the little kit, "The room is completely soundproof, no signals get in or out."

Kendall shivered in disgust, "They know where I am, you won't get away with it."

"Wrong, I always get away with it. Besides, as far as anyone knows you left at six with Jessica, who will of course, confirm that the two of you spent a wonderful evening together."

"They won't believe you," Kendall said as he tried to stand again.

Griffin grabbed him under the arms and pulled him up, "That's what you think. Now, why don't we get you comfortable so we can take our time?"

"No!" Kendall said pulling away and hitting the floor again.

Griffin squatted down next to him, "Did I ever tell you that I use to be a professional body builder? I've kept up my training so I'd just relax if I were you." He grabbed Kendall again and pulled him to the burgundy lounge. He pulled Kendall so that his back was pressed tightly to his chest, "This is a very special chair. It's called a Tantra and was inspired by the Kama Sutra. It's amazing for so many different reasons, but tonight we'll just use it to prepare you."

Kendall slammed his head back into Griffin's nose and the CEO yelled and released him. Kendall managed to stay upright this time and stumbled to the door. He frantically searched for a button to open it.

Griffin held his nose with one hand and pulled a small vial from his pocket with the other. He poured a small amount of powder into his hand and grabbed Kendall, pulling him around. He blew the powder into Kendall's face and the boy coughed as the substance made it's way into his nose and mouth. A few seconds later he was feeling weak and then felt his body going limp. Griffin glared down at him, "If you're going to play hardball, make sure you have all your bases covered. I had a diluted powdered compound made just in case, and it'll make sure you don't try anything again, but won't knock you out."

He put his arm around Kendall's waist and dragged him back to the chair.

Griffin pushed Kendall onto the chair with his back against the high sloping end. He sat down in front of him, his back facing the downward slope. He pulled Kendall's legs up over his own and pulled off the black denim jacket, next he removed the gray t-shirt. Griffin leaned back and smiled appreciatively as he ran his hand over Kendall's smooth chest.

Kendall tried to focus but everything looked distorted. He shivered as Griffin tweaked his left nipple. "Na..." was all he could get out.

Griffin ran his hands up and down the teen's sides and then nuzzled his neck. Kendall's breathing picked up and he tried to pull away, but couldn't move. He choked back a moan as Griffin latched onto a nipple and started nipping and sucking at it. Griffin wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and pulled him up a bit, not releasing the little bud of flesh. After a minute he pulled off and licked a line across Kendall's chest before latching onto the other one. One hand moved down and he palmed himself through his slacks and moaned happily. His hand then trailed over to Kendall's thigh where he squeezed tightly, sure to leave bruises. His mouth was still working at Kendall's chest when he undid the snap on his jeans.

"No..." Kendall managed to get out, panic setting in.

Griffin pulled off and looked down at him as he unzipped the jeans, "Did you know that nipples are completely underrated or ignored in men. Don't get me wrong, I love them on women, but there's just something special about a firm nipple on a boy. He pushed Kendall up a little further on the slope and started to pull off the jeans.

Kendall managed to shake his head but the vocal protest came out as a small whimper. Griffin pulled them the rest of the way off and then latched onto the left nipple, rolling and squeezing the right with his other hand. Kendall's eyes fluttered closed as the sensation started to overwhelm him.

Griffin smirked as he felt the boy relaxing and ran his hands up the firm thighs. He felt the boy tense up again and ran a hand up inside the boxers. Kendall started shaking, not being able to pull away from the pervert. He thought of James and how they hadn't even made love yet. They'd decided to take it very slow for the sake of their friendship and Kendall was regretting it. He wasn't even sure how it really worked. He'd read a few things but never asked, trusting that James would explain when they got to that point.

Now James hated him and he was trapped here with this pervert. He choked back a sob as he realized James wasn't going to be his first.

Griffin continued his oral assault on Kendall's chest as he squeezed his butt. Kendall shivered and he managed to pull away a little, but Griffin tightened his hold as he bit down. Kendall whimpered and Griffin finally released him and looked down at him. His eyes wandered over the firm young body and he grinned. "Not bad for slender boy," he said as he brushed his fingers across the front of Kendall's boxers.

Kendall managed a glare and wished he could spit at the freak.

"There's daddy's bad boy," Griffin smiled, taking note of the look. "Now, let's get you ready."

Kendall shook his head again as Griffin stood and flipped him over onto his stomach. He grabbed the boy's arms and pulled him so he was lying across the higher slope, his head facing away from the chair. Kendall tried to grab ahold and pull himself off, but his arms felt like lead and all he could do was clutch the end with his fingers.

Griffin ran his fingers through the blond hair and gave it a little tug as he reached over to the table and grabbed a pair of non-latex gloves. He picked up a bottle and knelt down next to Kendall, "Now, we're going to take our time so there aren't any problems. If you start moving around you could hurt yourself and we wouldn't want that."

Kendall tried to speak again, "N, na."

"Keep trying, you won't get very far but I always appreciate when someone puts in a good effort," Griffin said as he went to a small fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. "I need to take my little perky pill, it takes awhile to kick in. This way we'll both be ready about the same time," he smiled and winked before popping a small blue pill in his mouth and taking a swig of water.

Kendall thought he was going to throw up, just thinking about the freak touching him made him sick to his stomach. Griffin walked back over to him and then around behind. Griffin loosened his tie as sat down behind Kendall. He reached over to the table and grabbed something and then leaned across Kendall's back until his head was along side Kendall's. He held up the item so he could see, it was about four inches long, thin, and cylindrical that tapered to a smooth, rounded point. "This is the first thing we'll use after starting with my fingers. This is the smallest and we'll work our way up to the largest. After all, we need to work our way up from finger, to me," Griffin said in a husky voice. He pushed himself against Kendall and he could feel the bulge against his back.

Kendall shook his head again and his mind raced, trying to figure out a way out of this.

Griffin sat back and ran a finger down Kendall's spine and smiled when the boy shivered. His finger hooked in the waistband of Kendall's boxers and he slowly pulled them down past his hips.

Kendall shook his head frantically and Griffin grinned and then licked his lips, "Do you know how long I've waited for this opportunity? Ever since I saw the video from the pool...you were so adamant about getting that footage back. You never realized that your butt already belonged to me, along with everything and everyone else. I admit, Carlos has a sweet little bubble butt that I wouldn't mind playing with, but there's just something about you. Maybe it's because you challenge and defy me, that is a HUGE turn on. I almost didn't take my little perky pill because just the thought of you has me hard, but I want this to last as long as possible."

Kendall willed his arms to move and he managed to pull himself forward a little, but Griffin roughly grabbed him by the hips and pulled him back. "I like it when you play hard to get, but I don't want to break my new toy too quickly, so behave."

Griffin pulled the boxers down a little lower and grabbed another bottle from the table and snapped the top open. He poured a generous amount of lube on his fingers. Kendall tried to move away again and Griffin grabbed him by the neck with his left hand and held him down. "I'd relax if I were you, or this could be very uncomfortable."

"No," Kendall said as he tried to get out of the older man's grip. Panic was setting in and the adrenaline rush was helping him overcome the effects of the drugs, but Kendall was no match for the man.

"Shhh," Griffin whispered as he squeezed Kendall's shoulder.

"This isn't happening," Kendall thought and bit his lower lip as Griffin inserted a finger.

Griffin slowly started moving his finger in and out, smiling every time he felt the boy tense up. "I've heard some people even find this enjoyable," Griffin said as he moved his finger around. A couple of minutes later he inserted a second finger and Kendall groaned as the pressure and pain increased.

His breathing picked up as Griffin started using a scissoring motion and his eyes started to tear up. "S-Stop."

"Oh, you don't want me to do that," Griffin said as he squeezed more lube onto his fingers. He moved his hand down to Kendall's left hip and held tightly as he continued stretching him. A few minutes later he reached over and grabbed the smallest implement and coated it thoroughly with the lube.

"Now this is probably going to be a little more uncomfortable, but you're a strong boy," Griffin said as he slowly inserted the dilator. He applied steady pressure, gently turning it as he pushed.

Kendall screamed and bit down on his own arm. The pain and pressure increased every time Griffin pushed it a little further in and there was the beginning of a deep burning sensation, "STOP!"

Griffin leaned forward, "If I stop now you won't be ready and I can guarantee it will hurt a lot more. It always seems to be hardest the first time and you are a tight little thing."

Griffin worked the dilator all the way in, slowly pulled it out and then pushed it back in again. Kendall felt completely humiliated and was panting from the pain as Griffin continued to work the instrument in and out of him. After about fifteen minutes Griffin pulled it out and set it on the table. He grabbed the next size up and poured a generous amount of lube on it.

"You should be getting use to the sensation by now," Griffin said as he pushed the tip in.

"I hate you," Kendall hissed.

"Aw, do you want me to make you feel good?" Griffin mocked as he reached around and lightly ran his fingers over Kendall's member.

"No!" Kendall choked out. He would rather feel pain than any kind of pleasure from this freak.

"Are you sure?" Griffin said as he ran his fingers over him again. He wrapped his fingers around him and tugged as he pushed the dilator in further.

"Stop it!"

"Which?" Griffin asked smugly. "This..." he said as he slowly squeezed his fingers tighter, "...or this," he said as he pushed the dilator in even further.

"Stop touching me," Kendall said, trying to block out the pain.

"Too bad, I'm sure if you relaxed you'd enjoy this more," Griffin said, releasing him. He continued working the dilator and twenty minutes later grabbed the largest implement.

"This is more like it," Griffin said, rubbing lube on it. He rubbed his hands over Kendall's butt, kneading the tender flesh, "This is probably going to hurt a little more." He had just inserted the tip when a buzzer went off and he huffed in annoyance, "Who is that?" He set the dilator on the table and smacked Kendall's on the butt, "I'll be right back."

Kendall lay there and watched Griffin leave the room. He summoned every once of strength he had and pushed himself down the slope so he was sitting on the lounger. He yelped as a sharp pain went up his spine and took a deep breath, he knew he had to move quickly. He pulled his boxers back up and managed to grab his jeans from the floor and pull them on. It wasn't easy because his left arm wasn't working right.

He grabbed his phone from the table and forced himself to his feet. He found his jacket and pulled it on as he stumbled to the desk and picked up the phone. He tried dialing out, but a recorded voice came on asking for a clearance code. He hung up and made his way to the wall and found the hidden switch.

He looked carefully through the door and saw the other door on the far wall was closed. He turned on his phone, but still wasn't getting a signal. He put his ear to the door and could hear Griffin speaking to someone, but couldn't make out who the other person was. He didn't want to open the door in case it was Jessica, certain she would be more likely to help Griffin and not him. He looked around for a place to hide and decided on the spa. He would be able to peek out and see when Griffin went back into the other room.

He hit the switch that closed the panel to the other room and then climbed into the spa. His heart was racing and he looked at his phone again and decided to send a text to the police. He might not have a signal now, but it would send once he got someplace that had one. He fought back tears as he typed the cryptic message, not wanting to go into too much detail.

Griffin went into his office, annoyance clearly showing on his face. He saw Eileen standing there with a file, smiling apologetically. "I am SO sorry Mr. Griffin but with the meetings and everything I completely forgot that you needed to sign these acquisition papers so I can have them in by nine tomorrow."

Griffin took the file and pen she held out to him, "It's alright, thank you for being so diligent."

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, I hope I didn't wake you," she said, noting his missing tie and jacket.

"No, not at all. I was just relaxing and watching the news reports," he said.

"Thank you for being so understanding," she smiled as she took the file and pen from him.

"Not at all, you caught me on a good day," he said, smiling back.

"Well, have a good night," she said as she walked out, closing the door behind her.

He nodded and watched her go and went over and locked the deadbolt with his key, "No more interruptions." He walked back to the bathroom and through it, opening the other door.

Kendall heard Griffin coming in and pushed himself as far back against the wall as he could. He heard the door slide open and then close and quickly climbed out of the spa. He closed the bathroom door behind him and ran through the office. He tried to the door, only to find it locked. "No, no no," he whispered.

He went to Griffin's desk and opened the drawers, hoping to find a key. He couldn't find one so he grabbed two paper clips and tried to twist them into the shapes he needed, but he couldn't get his left hand to work. He heard Griffin in the bathroom. "You can't hide for too long before I find you," the older man called out.

Kendall went to the windows and looked out, hoping there was a ledge he could crawl out on, but it was a sheer drop. He heard the bathroom door start to open and grabbed something off the desk and dived under it, pulling the chair in front of him.

Griffin had gotten back to the room, closing the panel behind him. he looked at the lounger and saw the boy was gone. He smiled and rubbed his hands together, "I'll find you, there are very few places to hide."

He checked behind the curtains and around the desk before moving to the bed. He pulled up the bedskirt and looked underneath. "You are making this VERY exciting! I may have to give you a bonus."

He looked around some more and realized the boy wasn't in the room. He smiled as he opened the panel and waked into the bathroom. He saw the spa door wasn't closed all the way and looked inside, "You are a clever little thing."

He went to the bathroom door and opened it, looking into the office to make sure Kendall wasn't waiting to hit him with something. He noted the office door was still closed and gave himself a mental high five on locking the deadbolt. He walked in and looked around.

He went to the door to check it, just in case, and smiled when he found it still locked. He walked over and looked behind the bar, "You do know I'll find you?"

Kendall was still under the desk and pulled out his phone, hoping to find it had a signal. He choked back a sob when he saw no bars, he had an idea and pressed another button. He put the phone back into his jacket wishing that he would wake up and find this was all some sort of bad dream.

Suddenly the chair moved and Griffin grabbed his ankle and yanked him out from under the desk. Instinct took over and he kicked the older man in the chest, causing him to fall backwards. Kendall scrambled to his feet and ran for the bathroom, he got inside and slammed the door closed.

Griffin got up and brushed off his slacks. He pulled his keys out in case the boy had locked the door. He calmly walked over and knocked, "You are not making this easy on yourself." He tried the handle and smiled when he found it latched. He used his key and unlocked it, giving it a hard push as he opened it.

Kendall had opened the panel to the bedroom and then quickly went to stand behind the bathroom door. He pushed himself back against the wall as the door flew open and stayed where he was. He heard Griffin walk through and as soon as he was in the bedroom, Kendall ran over and hit the switch to close it. He had grabbed the heavy metal globe paperweight that had been on Griffin's desk, and slammed it into the wall switch. He hit it again and sparks came from the unit as it shorted out.

Kendall dropped the paperweight and tried to catch his breath, the adrenaline was wearing off and he felt like he was going to collapse. He could hear Griffin yelling on the other side of the panel, "Don't worry, I'll send the police to get you out."

He walked back into the office and over to the door, pulling out the two paper clips. He managed to get them into the proper shape and was working the lock when he was suddenly slammed up against the door and then thrown to the floor. He looked up into the face of one infuriated Arthur Griffin.

"You're a little too smart for your own good. Did you really think I wouldn't have a back-up plan in case of a power outage?" Griffin asked, dangling a strange looking key.

Kendall used his legs to propel himself backwards, away from the CEO, and Griffin just smiled. He reached down and grabbed the teen by the left arm and pulled. Kendall screamed as he felt the bone finally give way.

"Aw...did that hurt?" Griffin smirked. He released Kendall's arm and reached down and grabbed him by the jacket. He pulled him up and dragged him towards the bathroom, Kendall struggling the whole time. Once in the bathroom Griffin shut the door and locked it and then pulled Kendall through into the bedroom.

"I think we've had enough foreplay," he said as he half carried Kendall towards the bed. He pulled Kendall's jacket off and tossed it on the floor next to the bed. He shoved Kendall down onto the bed, "I am going to have so much fun breaking you." He unsnapped Kendall's jeans and started to yank them down, but Kendall flipped over and managed to pull away.

Griffin grabbed his legs and pulled him back towards him. He took ahold of the waistband and managed to pull the jeans off and had to grab hold of Kendall's leg as he kicked out at him. He flipped the boy back over onto his back and then straddled his waist. He grabbed Kendall by the hair and bent down and whispered in the teen's ear, "You've made this very exciting, but now I just want to fuck like there's no tomorrow."

Kendall spit at him and Griffin backhanded him across the face, "I think you're prepared enough."

Kendall's eyes were watering from the blow and he felt Griffin get off of him. He looked over and saw Griffin pull off his own shirt and was shocked by how muscular he was. Griffin saw him watching and smirked, "I told you I'm a body builder."

Kendall shook his head and pushed himself up towards the head of the bed, trying to come up with a plan to get away from the freak. Griffin was still smirking as he took off his slacks and carefully laid them over a chair. He was stroking himself through his boxers and Kendall felt sick at the sight. Griffin slid his boxers off, freeing himself from the constraining cloth.

He continued stroking himself as he climbed onto the bed and Kendall felt like he was in some weird horror movie. Griffin's body was massive and bulging with muscles everywhere, which was a sharp contrast to the wrinkled face and white hair.

The older man reached over and opened the drawer to the night table, pulling out a condom and a bottle of lube, He grinned at Kendall as he tore open the wrapper and put the condom on and then made a show of pouring a generous amount of lube into his hand. He grabbed Kendall's right hand and smeared some of the lube onto it, "Help me out with this." He took Kendall's hand in his and forced the boy's fingers around his cock. Griffin groaned as he squeezed Kendall's fingers tighter and forced his hand up and down.

"This is going to be so much fun," Griffin said as he released Kendall's hand and pulled his boxers off. Kendall punched Griffin with his right hand and Griffin grabbed his arm before he could do it again. He pushed his arm above his head and Griffin glared down at him, "You just never learn, do you?"

"Leave me alone!" Kendall yelled as he tried to wriggle free.

Griffin put his other hand around Kendall's throat as he released his arm, "I just need you a little quieter to start. Then you can scream all you want."

Kendall's hand flew to his throat as he tried to pry Griffin's fingers loose. Griffin pushed a knee between Kendall's legs and forced them apart. "Now we were stretching you, but I think you've been stretched enough not to tear, and that IS the important thing," he said as he released Kendall's throat and grabbed his thighs, pulling him closer. He reached up and grabbed a pillow, pushing it under Kendall's hips.

"NO!" Kendall choked out, trying to pull away.

"Shh..." Griffin cooed as he lined himself up with Kendall's entrance.

"STOP!" Kendall yelled as he felt the tip of Griffin's cock enter him.

"Oh mommy, you feel good!" Griffin groaned as he pushed himself in further.

"Stop!" Kendall screamed again, as he tried to push away.

Griffin reached down and held onto Kendall's shoulder with left hand as he tightened his grip on the boy's right thigh. He pushed himself in further and groaned happily. "You are so tight and delicious!"

Kendall could barely breathe, the pain was so intense. "Please stop!"

"Shh, daddy's going to take good care of his bad boy," Griffin said as he started playing with Kendall's nipples again. He continued pushing himself inside the boy and once he was completely buried inside him, he stopped moving and leaned down to suckle at the now pert buds of flesh.

Kendal closed his eyes, trying to block out everything. He could hear Griffin as he moaned while sucking at his chest and shivered. The pain was less intense now that Griffin had stopped moving, but he could feel every inch of the older man that was inside him. Griffin didn't pull out, but started moving his hips, pushing himself closer to the boy, if that were possible.

"NO!" Kendall screamed, hitting at him again.

Griffin grabbed Kendall's hand and sat back on his own legs, "I think I've waited long enough." He slowly pulled back a little and then pushed back in, still holding onto Kendall's legs. He gradually increased the pace and intensity of his thrusts, grunting in pleasure every time he pushed back inside the boy.

Kendall continued trying to push the older man away, but Griffin had a tight grip on him. Griffin shifted a little and then started slamming harder into the teen, "Oh mommy! You feel SO damn good!" Kendall's cried out every time he thrust back in.

After a few minutes Griffin shifted his position again and rested on his forearms. He buried his face in Kendall's neck, grunting and groaning at the feeling of the younger male. He looked down at him and stopped moving, "Open your eyes and watch."

Kendall didn't reply and didn't open his eyes.

"I SAID...WATCH ME!" Griffin screamed, yanking on the blond hair.

When Kendall continued to ignore his demands he pulled out all the way and then slammed back in as hard as he could. Kendall screamed but refused to open his eyes. He wasn't going to watch this freak rape him.

Griffin sat back on his legs again, furious that the teen was not doing as he was told. He was still in-between Kendall's legs so he grabbed them right above the knees and pushed up and then straight down. Kendall screamed as he felt muscles tear.

Griffin leaned back down towards him, "I told you to watch me fuck you. Now do what I say or next week one of your friends will be in here spending some 'quality' time with me."

Kendall choked back a sob as he opened his eyes. Griffin smirked, "I love my bad boy but when I tell you to do something, DO IT!" He slowly pushed back inside and started with gentle thrusts and worked his way back to slamming into the teen.

Griffin still had a handful of hair, so Kendall couldn't really turn his head. He stared up into the mirror and watched as Griffin continued to move in and out him. Griffin had his face buried in Kendall's neck again and was grunting and groaning in pleasure.

Kendall tried to block the sounds coming from the older man. He felt disgusting and willed himself to die. He knew he would never want to be touched again, could never be close to anyone again. He was pulled out of his reverie when Griffin sat back up and held on tightly to his hips. His movements were becoming erratic and his thrusts were becoming sloppy. "Oh mommy, I'm so close!"

Griffin threw his head back and had a look of complete ecstasy on his face. He watched himself in the mirror for a moment and that seemed to push him to the edge. He leaned back down over Kendall, using his hands to hold himself up this time. He reached down and started nipping at the teen's chest, thrusting harder, and then cried out in pleasure as he reached his climax.

He collapsed onto his forearms and continued to thrust, riding out his orgasm. He latched onto a nipple and started suckling hard at it. He just lay there on top of the boy, not pulling out and his mouth still attached to the abused bud of flesh.

Kendall was shaking, he couldn't believe what had just happened. He tried to convince himself it was just a nightmare, but reality came crashing back as he felt Griffin getting hard again while still inside him. "No..." he cried.

Griffin groaned happily, "You are one amazing fuck! I'm ready to go another round."

Kendall pushed him away, "Leave me alone!"

"That's not the way this works. I OWN you and you will do what I say... and I say we've got another few hours of fun ahead of us!"

"You won't get away with this," Kendall said. His voice was barely above a whisper, all the screaming had taken it's toll.

"Like I said before, I always get away with it. Do you know what the most amazing part is?" Griffin asked as he started to gently thrust again. "You won't remember a thing, so every time will be the first time for you."

Kendall shook his head, still trying to pull away. "You really think I'll forget this?"

"Absolutely, I paid a very handsome sum for that drug," Griffin smirked. "I do wish two things though. One, that i could put that pretty mouth of your to work, but I'm fairly certain that you'd bite me. Two, that I could get you to ride me so I could watch," Griffin said, pulling the teen up to him.

Two hours later Kendall lay there shivering. Griffin was lying next to him and holding him tightly. The older man had fallen sleep after assaulting Kendall three more times.

The teen was in so much pain he could hardly stand it. He knew his arm was broken and was pretty sure he had a torn groin muscle from when Griffin had pushed his legs down.

Griffin mumbled something and loosened his hold on him, so Kendall managed to wiggle out of his grasp. He reached down and grabbed his boxers and managed to pull them on. He went to stand and bit his lip when pain shot up his legs and spine.

"Where do you think you're going?" Griffin asked.

"H-Home," Kendall said shivering.

Griffin smirked, "Not until we get you cleaned up and give you the other dose."

"No," Kendall said as he tried to take a step.

"You don't know how to take orders very well, do you?" Griffin asked getting up. He grabbed Kendall around the waist and pulled the boxers back off, then he dragged him to the bathroom. He turned on the water in the large walk-in shower and checked Kendall for bleeding while he waited for it to warm up. He pushed Kendall up against the wall and poured a generous amount of shower gel onto his hands and started rubbing it on the teen. Next he grabbed a loofah and started scrubbing him, making sure to clean every inch.

Kendall stood there being supported by the older man, wishing he could grab the razor and end it all. Griffin grabbed the shower nozzle and started rinsing the boy off. He pulled the boy over to the built in seat and forced him to sit.

Kendall cried out in pain and Griffin smiled as he soaked his hair and picked up a bottle of shampoo, "I'm sure James would appreciate this more than you will. This is an exclusive line of mens toiletries made from only the finest ingredients," he said as he lathered up the boy's hair.

Kendall's eyes teared up at James' name. He would never want him now, he was ruined and not worth loving. Griffin continued droning on about the shampoo as he scrubbed the blond hair and then rinsed it.

Once Griffin was done cleaning Kendall up, he took a shower himself. He hummed happily as he washed his own hair and once he had rinsed off, he towel dried his own hair. He wrapped the towel around his waist as he took another towel and dried Kendall off.

"Stay there," Griffin ordered as he went in and grabbed Kendall's clothes. Kendall sat there not moving, not caring, and let Griffin dress him without saying a word.

Griffin looked at all the bruises that were starting to show on the boy's body, including a couple of very noticeable handprints. He checked Kendall's throat and saw the marks that were getting darker, standing out against the pale skin. "Damn it," he cursed.

He pulled Kendall up and into the office and pushed him onto the couch. "Don't move," Griffin ordered. He went to his desk and picked up the phone and dialed Jessica's number, "Get back to the office now, I need some damage control."

He hung up and pulled a vial out of his desk. He poured a pill into his hand and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, making sure it wasn't marked on the label. He opened it and went over to Kendall and held the pill out, "Take this."

Kendall shook his head, "No."

Griffin reached down and grabbed Kendall by the hair, "I am in NO mood to fight you," he said as he forced the pill into Kendall's mouth. Kendall bit down and the CEO screamed and slapped him. He put the water bottle up to the teen's lips and forced some in.

Kendall choked a little, but Griffin wouldn't release him until he swallowed. "Now after that starts working we'll get you home," Griffin said.

Kendall didn't say anything. Maybe it as better this way, not having to remember everything that had happened. Then again, the way Griffin had spoke he intended to do this again and maybe with one of his friends. Kendall fought back tears, he couldn't do this again and he definitely couldn't let this happen to one of the guys.

He watched Griffin and the man seemed fidgety, which was odd. He'd been so self-assured when he'd been assaulting him earlier. "Damage control?" he whispered. The drug was starting to take affect and Kendall tried to focus on something so he wouldn't forget.

There was a knock at the door and Griffin jumped up and went to open it, cursing when he realized it was still locked. He pulled out his keys and unlocked it. He opened it and Jessica started to come inside but he ushered her out into the other office, closing the door behind him.

Kendall forced himself up and nearly fell to his knees and pain shot through him. "Oh my God," he whimpered. He managed to get to the desk and picked up the phone. He dialed the one number he could remember. The phone rang, "Pick up, pick up," Kendall pleaded.

"Hello?"

Kendall dropped the phone and grabbed it.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

"J-Jamie?" Kendall whispered.

"Why are you calling me? Didn't I make myself clear this morning and NOW you're calling from a different number so I won't know it's you?"

"No... Jamie please, I need help. S-Something bad happened...it's hurts so much," Kendall said, trying to keep his voice low.

"Call your girlfriend," James snapped.

"Please Jamie, she's not my girlfriend and it hurts so bad," Kendall pleaded.

"This is the last time I'm going to say this, STOP calling me that. You are really pushing it now so I guess that means you don't care about our friendship either."

"N-No, James please! You don't understand..." Kendall sobbed.

"Go away and stop doing this to me!" James said.

"James!" Kendall cried, but the line had gone dead.

Kendall could hear voices close to the door and made his way back to the couch. He cradled his broken arm to him and started rocking back and forth, his heart broken. One thought going through his mind, "He left me here."

Griffin explained about the marks on Kendall and Jessica shook her head, "How could you be so careless!?"

"I wasn't holding on that tight, now FIX this!" Griffin growled.

"Alright, let's see how bad it really is," she said opening the door to his office. She saw Kendall curled up on the couch and walked over to him. His eyes were becoming unfocused and he was holding his left arm tightly to him. She reached over and brushed his bangs back and he pulled away.

"What's wrong with his arm?" Jessica asked.

"I don't know, he fell. Check his neck and see how bad it looks," Griffin said.

Jessica reached over and pulled Kendall's collar down, "Jesus! Were you trying to kill him?"

"No! I just needed him to stop fighting me. He doesn't obey very well," Griffin snapped.

She checked Kendall's eyes and saw red spots in the sclera. "There is no way people aren't going to notice this."

"Maybe we can say it was an accident," Griffin suggested.

"What are we going to say? That he fell and you tried to help him up by his throat?"

"Well HE'S not going to remember, so just fix this," he ordered.

She thought for a minute, "Alright, do you have a blanket or a large towel?"

Griffin nodded and went into the bathroom and grabbed the towel he'd used to dry Kendall off. He handed it to here, "Will this work?"

She nodded and laid it over Kendall's chest and stood, "Hit him."

"What?"

"Hit him. We'll give him a black eye and a few more bruises. Then we'll drive him somewhere close to the Palmwoods and leave him there. He'll wake up and go home on his own," she said.

"How is that going to help!?" Griffin asked.

"They'll think he was attacked by someone else on his way home," she said simply.

"That might work," Griffin said.

"So hit him," Jessica said again.

"Why me?"

"After everything else you did tonight, this is what you're being squeamish about?" Jessica asked.

Griffin glared at her but went and stood over at the barely conscious teen. He raised his fist and punched Kendall in the face. The teen's head whipped to the side and Griffin backhanded him.

"That should be enough," Jessica said, inspecting Griffin's handiwork. Kendall now had a split lip and his eye was already swelling. She left the towel over him until the bleeding had stopped and carefully rolled it into a ball. I'll take this and throw it in the incinerator in my building," she said.

He nodded and watched as she carefully inspected the couch for any sign of blood. "Well?" Griffin asked impatiently.

"Let's get him to the car and get him out of here," she said.

Griffin nodded and pulled Kendall up. Together they got him into the elevator and Jessica looked carefully out to make sure the coast was clear. "Alright, take him to the rear entrance and I'll get the car and meet you there."

Griffin nodded and pulled Kendall up onto his shoulder, in the fireman's hold. He started towards the rear of the building while Jessica went out the front. He punched his code in and opened the back door. Jessica pulled up a minute later and jumped out. She opened the back door and Griffin put Kendall into the back seat.

Twenty minutes later she was driving around Palmwoods Park and then a couple of blocks away. She settled on a deserted alley and stopped the car, leaving the engine running. She got out and opened the back door as Griffin walked around to where she was.

"We'll just leave him here and he can find his own way home," she said.

Griffin nodded and pulled Kendall out as Jessica kept a look out. He leaned the boy against the dumpster and the two quickly got back into the car and drove away.


	14. Chapter 14

James walked around for about an hour on his own, trying to calm down. People would recognize him and he'd put on a smile and talk to them or take photos with them if they wanted. Inside he felt like he was dying. He felt guilty about speaking to Kendall the way he had, but he was just so hurt and angry. The one person he thought he could trust with everything had betrayed him.

His phone buzzed and he reluctantly looked at the caller ID and saw it was Logan. "Hello," he answered with a sigh.

"Hey...are you okay? You just took off without saying anything," Logan gently admonished.

"Just trying to clear my head," James said, deciding not to tell him about the phone call. He really didn't want another lecture right now.

"Well, we're all getting ready to head over Main Street to watch the fireworks, so you should probably meet us there," Logan suggested.

"Okay, I'll head that way now," James said, looking around to get his bearings.

"Look, there's something Carlos and I need to tell you and we think it might help, but you need to actually LISTEN to us," Logan said.

"If it's about Kendall I don't want to hear it," James said firmly.

"James, you NEED to hear this because there are some things that you're wrong about."

"I don't want to hear anything right now! Why can't you guys understand that I need time?" James asked.

"Because you and Kendall are our best friends and this is something you need to hear. If you still feel the same way afterwards...then we'll leave you alone about it. For now," Logan promised.

"Fine, but not here. I don't need anyone overhearing anything," James said.

"We can talk on the way home. Listen buddy, I really think this will help so please just hear us out," Logan asked.

"I said I'd listen and that's the only promise I'm making," James said as he made his way towards Main Street.

"Fair enough," Logan sighed. He hung up and shook his head at Carlos, "He's too stubborn for his own good."

"What did he say?" Carlos asked.

"He said he'll hear us out, but from the tone of his voice, I'm not holding my breath," Logan told him.

"He HAS to listen," Carlos said.

"Shh," Logan said, hoping no one was listening too closely. He was about to put his phone back in his pocket when he noticed that he had a message, three in fact. He punched in his code and listened to Camille asking him to call her as soon as possible, so he quickly punched in her number, waving at James as he saw him round the corner.

"Logan?" Camille answered.

"Hey, what's up?" Logan asked, noticing that she sounded off.

"Logan..." she started, her voice starting to break.

"Camille, what's wrong?"

Sam Roberts' voice came on the line, "Logan it's Mr. Roberts. I need to know if you have Jennifer's number?"

"Mrs. Knight's?"

"Yes, I need to get ahold of her," Sam said.

The fireworks had started and Logan was having a hard time hearing so he put his finger in his other ear and moved away from the crowd of people. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Where are you boys?" Sam asked.

"We're still at Disneyland, we should be leaving in the next half an hour or so...why?" Logan asked, wondering why Sam hadn't answered his question.

Sam sighed, knowing he had to tell Logan something and decided on a dilute version of the truth. "Camille and I brought Kendall to Cedars Sinai..." he started.

"WHAT? WHY? WHAT HAPPENED?" Logan yelled, already nearing a panic attack. He KNEW he should have made Kendall go to another doctor.

"Logan, calm down! He's stable, the doctor is running some tests but you boys should get here as soon as you can. The doctor needs more information on what's been going on with him. I need to get ahold of his mom because he's only seventeen," Sam explained.

"It's going to take us at least an hour to get there," Logan said and gave him Jen's number. He quickly walked back to where his friends were watching the fireworks. He grabbed James by the arm and started pulling him.

"Hey!" James said, trying to pull away.

"We have to go NOW!" Logan yelled as he grabbed Carlos.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked, still trying to watch the fireworks.

"That was Mr. Roberts, they had to take Kendall to the hospital," Logan said pulling them along.

James stopped dead in his tracks, "Why, what happened?"

Logan stopped and looked at him, "I don't know but Mr. Roberts said the doctor is running tests. He said we need to get there because the doctor has some questions about what's been going on, which means that Kendall can't answer him."

"Or won't," James said.

"James..." Logan started.

"ENOUGH!" Carlos yelled as he grabbed James and started yanking him through the crowd.

"I just meant that he never says when something's wrong!" James said trying to avoid hitting people as Carlos continued hauling him through the park, with Logan close behind.

Carlos turned and pulled James over to the side of a building, "Would you have listened if he did!?"

"Guys, what are you doing?" Logan asked.

"Answer the question James," Carlos said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Of course I..." James started. A chill ran straight through him as he thought back to the last phone conversation he'd had with Kendall.

Carlos noticed the sudden change in James' demeanor, "What?"

"Oh no, what did I do!?" James said as he turned and took off at a dead run for the parking lot.

Carlos looked at Logan and they both took off after him.

* * *

 

Sam had spoken with the police after they arrived at the hospital. He gave them his statement and then they spoke with Camille about what she knew. Olivia was still waiting to hear from the lab about the second drug. Without knowing what it was she was limited on what she could give Kendall for pain. He'd only come around for a moment since he'd lost consciousness and Sam was hoping he stayed out until they knew what they were dealing with.

He was just getting ready to head back to the trauma room when Logan called. Camille answered but he could see she was about to lose it so he took the phone from her. "Logan, it's Mr. Roberts. I need to know if you have Jennifer's number?"

"Mrs. Knight's?"

"Yes, I need to get ahold of her," Sam said.

"Why, what's wrong?" Logan asked.

Sam heard sudden popping sound and people shouting, "Where are you boys?"

"We're still at Disneyland, we should be leaving in the next half an hour or so...why?" Logan asked.

Sam gave him a quick explanation and managed to calm the panicking teen. He grabbed a pen and pad from Olivia's desk and Logan gave him Jennifer's number.

"Well?" Camille asked as Sam hung up.

"They're on their way, but it's going to take a good hour or more before they get here," Sam said, sitting next to her.

He called Jen's number and after four rings it went to voicemail. "Hi Jennifer, it's Sam Roberts. There was an incident with Kendall tonight and I brought him to Cedars Sinai. He's stable and the doctor is running some tests but we need to hear from you as soon as possible. This is Camille's phone and you can reach me at this number."

"What are you going to tell her when she calls?" Camille asked.

"Right now...just that someone mugged him," Sam said.

"This is so wrong," Camille said, fighting back more tears.

"Yes it is," Sam agreed.

* * *

 

Jen, Brooke, and Katie were having dinner at the Ca'Bianca, in Santa Rosa. Jen checked her phone for what seemed the hundredth time in the last two days. She shook her head when she saw no messages, "Those boys need to call back and check in."

"Jen relax, I'm sure everything is alright. Griffin has them doing all these promotions and they probably haven't had a moment to themselves," Brooke smiled.

Jen frowned as she put her phone away, "I know, but I don't like it. I specifically told them that someone needs to check in twice a day while we're gone."

"I told you they needed a babysitter," Katie laughed.

"Katie, the boys are old enough to take care of themselves once in awhile," Brooke said.

"Didn't Carlos nearly burn down the kitchen two weeks ago?" Katie asked.

"You're not helping," Jen said as she dialed Kendall's number. She sighed when it went directly to voicemail and hung up. "I've left at least a dozen messages with them."

Brooke pulled out her phone and called James. After four rings it went to voicemail, "James, please call me as soon as you get this. We know you're busy, but you need to check in. I'll talk to you later sweetheart."

"Logan's not answering either," Jen said as she hung up again.

"Is there someone who can go check on them?" Brooke asked.

"Maybe Kelly," Jen said, picking up her phone again.

"Mom the guys are at Disneyland tonight, remember?" Katie said.

"That's right," she sighed.

"Call her if we haven't heard anything by morning," Brooke suggested.

"Definitely," Jen agreed.

* * *

 

Olivia had finished her exam and was typing up her preliminary report for the police. She was still waiting for the rest of the lab results and the head nurse was still trying to find out which lab had run Kendall's original blood work. She sighed as she double checked what she'd typed.

_Seventeen year old male brought in after being found in a local park by friends. Upon a cursory examination it has been determined that the patient was most likely attacked and left unconscious in the area where he was found._

_Physical findings include:_

_Multiple contusions on both upper and lower arms, some appear to be a few days old. There are also fresh abrasions on left shoulder and center of the chest._

_Contusions around throat, fingermarks evident indicating an attempt (failed) to asphyxiate. Pitikia is also seen in the sclera of both eyes. Radiographs show no damage to the hyoid or other bones in the neck. There is a slight swelling in the trachea._

_Left radius is fractured approximately five centimeters from the carpus. The bone is not displaced so a proper cast will be placed as soon as the swelling is reduced. Until then a removable splint has been used to prevent further damage._

_Left eye is bruised and swollen, most likely from a strong blow. Right side of the bottom lip is split but requires no sutures._

_There are multiple patterned contusions on both legs from the ankle to the thigh. The right thigh is severely bruised and swollen, possible abductor muscle tear. Compression wrap was placed as well as ice to minimize pain and swelling._

_There are also contusions to both hips, fingermarks are evident including on full palm impression on the left hip. There is a contusion with an approximate six centimeter radius on patient's right hip, with what appears to be a puncture wound. Wound appears to have been sealed with a topical skin glue._

_In spite of the severity of these injuries, there was no blood present on the patient's hands or clothing, indicating that he may have been bathed and dressed after the attack. His hair appears to have been washed and a sample has been sent to the lab for analysis._

_Initial blood results show a low dose of Ketamine as well as another unknown substance. The lab is currently trying to determine exactly what the substance is as it does not appear to be in any data base._

_A friend of the patient confirmed that he has been ill on and off for the past five to six days. She was told by the patient that he was seen by a doctor at his place of employment where blood was drawn. She also said that the doctor sent home vitamins and an iron supplement as the results showed he was anemic. We are attempting to confirm these findings by locating the lab where the tests were run which will also give us the name of the doctor who ordered them._

_Sexual assault is suspected but cannot be confirmed until an internal exam can be performed, which cannot be done until we are able to sedate the patient._

Olivia was just finishing up when the head nurse came back in with a file. "We finally tracked down the blood work to a small lab in Anaheim," she said handing Olivia the file.

Olivia quickly looked it over, "Standard blood testing, PCV levels have dropped significantly since they were run."

"Those aren't the only tests they ran, check the last page," the nurse said.

Olivia flipped to the back page, "Bone marrow aspiration? Well, that explains the puncture wound on his hip, but why the hell did they order that? His numbers weren't that bad yet."

"Maybe they know something we don't," the nurse said.

Olivia looked for the attending's name, "Sean Copen...I've never heard of him, have you?"

"No, but I can ask around."

Olivia shook he head," It's alright, we'll let the police track him down."


	15. Chapter 15

Kendall pushed through the fog in his mind and immediately regretted it as the pain hit him. He could hear voices speaking softly near him and thought he recognized a woman's voice. "M-Mom," he called out, his voice barely a whisper.

He felt fingers run through his hair and someone gently squeezed his right hand. "No, sweetheart, we're still trying to get ahold of her," Olivia said.

"H-hurts," he whimpered.

"I know honey, I wish I could give you something for the pain, but I can't right now. Can you tell me what happened?"

Kendall tried to shake his head but found he couldn't move it and his heart rate picked up.

"Kendall, don't try and move you're in the hospital and we have a cervical collar on you to protect your neck.," Olivia said.

"W-Why, w-what happened? Are the guys okay? I want my m-mom!" Kendall cried as his eyed filled with tears. He couldn't remember what had happened and everything hurt so much, but the fear that suddenly came over him was overriding the pain. He tried to sit up but hands held him down, gently but firmly.

"LET ME GO!" Kendall screamed, as full-fledged panic took hold.

"Kendall calm down. Everyone is alright and your friends are on their way here," Olivia told him as she held his right arm tightly so that he wouldn't dislodge the catheter.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Kendall screamed as random scenes of what had happened started flashing through his mind.

One of the nurses ran over with a support board and between them they managed to get his arm secured to it. He tried to swing out with his left arm but another nurse managed to catch it before it made contact with anyone. Another nurse called for back-up as Kendall started bucking up, trying to get away, and two interns went running in and tried to hold him down.

"Blood pressure is 140/90 and climbing," the head nurse reported.

"Damn it!" Olivia cursed. "Secure his legs and pull up .2ml of Diazepam."

An orderly managed to get Kendall's legs strapped down and a nurse brought a vial and syringe to Olivia. Olivia looked at it and nodded so the nurse pulled up .2 ml and injected into the catheter port on Kendall's hand.

"NO, PLEASE DON'T!" Kendall screamed.

"Sweetheart it's alright, you're safe. No one is going to hurt you," Olivia said.

Kendall felt a sudden warmth go through him and he felt his muscles relaxing in spite of his attempts to keep fighting. "No...not again! P-Please don't," he sobbed.

"Kendall, listen to me. I've got you and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. You're safe and we're going to find out who did this to you," Olivia promised as she fought back tears of her own.

"I want my mom," he cried as his eyes closed.

"I know honey, we're going to find her," Olivia said. Kendall's nose suddenly started bleeding so she grabbed a towel and applied pressure.

"Blood pressure is slowly dropping," the nurse said.

Olivia nodded, "Call the lab and light a fire under them, we need to know what else he was given. I don't care if they have to pull an all-nighter, I want answers."

"Yes Dr. Burns."

"In fact, have them call Dr. Finer in," Olivia said. Dr. Ben Finer was the head of pathology at Cedars-Sinai, and a good friend of Olivia's. He was one of the tops in his field and if anyone could find out was was going on, he could.

The nurse nodded and went to make the call.

"We WILL figure this out," she promised again.

James never slowed as he ran for the entrance. He paused for a moment to call Harrison and to tell him to meet them out front and took off running again. He could hear Logan and Carlos close behind, yelling for him to wait, but he ignored them. He raced for the limo, dodging people and hurdling a few trash bins along the way.

"What is he doing!?" Logan yelled as he and Carlos tried to keep up with their long-legged friend.

"I don't know!" Carlos yelled back as he nearly collided with a large Goofy clad employee.

James got to the entrance just as Harrison pulled up. He turned and looked for his two friends who were still about a block away, "HURRY UP!" James yelled as he opened the door, not waiting for Harrison. Logan and Carlos finally caught up, both were struggling to catch their breath after the long, fast-paced run.

"James..." Logan started, but James pushed him and then Carlos into the limo and climbed in after them.

"Sirs, can you please tell me what is going on?" Harrison asked in concern.

"Tell him where we need to go!" James ordered.

"Uh...Cedars Sinai," Logan managed to get out.

"What's happened?" Harrison asked as he pulled away from the curb.

"K-Kendall's sick... a friend called...to let us know... that they took him there," Logan explained in-between breaths.

Harrison nodded, "I was afraid something like this would happen, he didn't look well the other day. I knew I should have spoken to Ms. Wainright about Mr. Griffin working him so hard when he was ill."

"It's not your fault Harrison, but if you could get us there fast, we'd really appreciate it," James said quietly.

"I know a few shortcuts and shall have us there as soon as humanly possible," Harrison said.

"Thank you," James said. He sat back and stared out the window trying hard to keep the panic he felt from building. He felt his friends eyes upon him and couldn't bring himself to look at them.

Carlos hit the button that closed the partition and then crossed over and sat next to James. "What happened?" Carlos asked gently.

James didn't answer, just shook his head and fought back the tears that were starting to pool in his eyes.

Logan moved so he was sitting directly across from him, "It was Kendall that called at dinner, wasn't it?"

James didn't say anything, just gave him a small nod.

"Buddy, you need to talk to us," Carlos said.

"What do you want me to say? Kendall called, asked me to help him, and I hung up because I thought he was playing games," James said, his voice breaking.

"What did he say?" Logan asked.

"What does it matter!? I HUNG UP ON HIM! Even if I was mad I should have listened, he's still my b-best friend!" James said as the tears started to fall.

Carlos put his arm around him and pulled him close, "Yes, you should have, but everyone makes mistakes."

"Carlos is right, plus we've all been working so hard and everyone is so tired. You know Kendall will forgive you, but you DO need to figure out what you're going to do. You either need to be there for him, if only because you're friends, or walk away and stop hurting him," Logan said.

"We know you're hurting too, but we think a lot of it is just one HUGE misunderstanding," Carlos quickly interjected.

"W-What if it's something bad? What if he..." James started but couldn't finish.

"James, the doctor would have found something if it were," Logan said reassuringly.

"Are you s-sure?" James asked.

"Of course I am, the blood tests show that he's anemic and that can make you feel really sick, " Logan said, although he wasn't completely convinced himself.

"What if he d-dies?" James asked quietly. He'd been so angry at Kendall and what had happened, but he'd never thought about losing him...not like this. He remembered everything he'd said, done, and felt over the last few days and started sobbing.

Carlos sighed and pulled his friend closer, "He's not going to die but Logan's right. You need to decide what you want your relationship to be because this isn't fair to either one of you. Before you decide though, there are some things you DO need to know. Are you ready to listen?"

James nodded, "Y-Yes."

Carlos looked at Logan who nodded, and proceeded to tell James about the cologne, Mr. Roberts' suspicions about the phone call, and everything that he and Kendall had talked about the night before.

Ben Finer had returned to the hospital and was now going over Kendall's test results. He'd pulled up every piece of data he could find and still couldn't find anything that made any sense. One of his technicians brought him yet another report and he shook his head at the results.

"This doesn't make any sense," he mumbled. He headed down to the trauma room to talk to Olivia about what they'd found.

He found her sitting next to Kendall, lost in thought. "Hey, how is he?"

She looked over and shook her head, "His blood pressure and temperature won't regulate. He wakes up confused, sometimes screaming, sometimes crying and asking for his mom. I can't give him anything for pain until we know what's going on and had to risk a lose dose of Valium when he woke up fighting us. Please tell me you have something."

"Not much I'm afraid. We're still working on it, but what we've found so far, just doesn't make any sense," he told her.

"Why?"

"We traced one of the compounds and it appears to be 4-hydroxycourmarin, which is one of the key ingredients in warfarin sodium."

"Why the hell would he have Coumadin in his system? I mean, it explains the excessive bleeding and the anemia, but why? It just doesn't make sense," Olivia said.

"Well...one theory could be that someone used it to cut in with the Ketamine. The issue is, that it's the only ingredient from Coumadin we could find. It would appear that someone broke down the components in an attempt to create something new, " Ben told her.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that this isn't just a new version of a street drug. Someone with a good foundation in chemistry created this, for what reason we can only attempt to surmise," he said.

"So what do we do? He can't go on like this, he's in so much pain and we still need to do an internal exam," Olivia asked, completely frustrated.

"What if we do a nerve block? It'll help with the pain but won't go systemic?" Ben suggested.

"That might work, I just worry about the risk with excessive bleeding. If he develops a hematoma we could be in real trouble, especially without parental consent. Technically, it's a grey area and legal doesn't want to risk the liability, " Olivia said.

"I'll take the responsibility," a voice said from the doorway.

Olivia looked over and smiled, "Sam..."

"Look, I know his mom as well as the other boys' parents. Call down to legal and get an emergency medical release and I'll take responsibility," Sam said.

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, it's what I'd want for my child if something like this happened to her," he said as he walked over to the hospital bed.

Olivia smiled gratefully as she reached for the phone, "Thank you Sam."

He nodded, "He doesn't deserve this."

"I know," she said as she dialed anesthesiology. "This is Dr. Burns in emergency. I need Dr. Chin in trauma one for an emergency epidural. Thank you." She hung up, "It'll just be a few minutes."

"Good, the other boys should be here in an hour or so, depending on traffic. Hopefully they can shed some light on what's been going on," Sam said.

"I hope so," she said.

Officer Jay Richards rang the bell at Griffin's mansion. The door was opened a moment later by his butler, "Yes?"

"I need to speak to Mr. Arthur Griffin," Richards said.

"Regarding?"

"Police business," Richards said in a firm tone.

The butler opened the door all the way and stood to the side, "Very well, I shall inform him that you are waiting."

Richards rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "God, I hate these snooty types."

"Please wait in there," the butler said, pointing to a small waiting room.

"Look, I don't have time to play 'hurry up and go slow' with you, just get him," Richards ordered.

The butler huffed, "Indeed."

"NOW," Richards growled.

The butler turned on his heels and walked down the hallway, knocking on a door and waiting for acknowledgement before going in. A moment later a tall, white haired man in his later fifties or early sixties came out. "I'm Arthur Griffin, what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Griffin, I'm looking for your company physician, Dr. Sean Copen," Richards said.

"Why, is there a problem?" Griffin asked pleasantly.

"We're not sure yet. It seems that one of your employees is in the hospital and Dr. Copen's listed as his physician," Richards said.

"I see...which employee?" Griffin asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not a liberty to say, I just need Dr. Copen's contact information."

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask my secretary for that information, I don't normally have that information with me. Milton will give you her number," Griffin said turning to go.

"Thank you," Richards said, making a mental note of Griffin's manner.

Griffin just gave him a small wave as he walked back to his home office. Jessica was sitting in there on the small sofa, "What was that about?

"The police, they're looking for Copen. Call him and tell him not to answer his phone, then call my attorney and have him fax over the boys' medical release forms that their parents signed," Griffin said as he went over and sat down at his oversized desk.

"Why?" Jessica asked picking up the phone.

"It's called holding all the cards," Griffin smirked.


	16. Chapter 16

"Why am I not suppose to answer my phone?" Copen asked Jessica for the second time.

"Because Mr. Griffin is telling you NOT to," she said.

"That is not an answer...what have you two done?" Copen asked, realizing that something must have happened.

"I didn't do anything. Now just do as you're told and there will be a nice little bonus in your paycheck," Jessica said hanging up.

"All taken care of daddy," she smiled as she walked over to Griffin's desk.

"Good, find out what hospital they've taken Kendall to and call for my driver," Griffin ordered.

"How do you know he's in the hospital?"

"What other employee would be in the hospital with Copen listed at their physician?" Griffin pointed out.

"The hospital won't tell me anything because of the privacy laws," Jessica said.

"That's why you're going to say that you're from his office and that you have a call into Copen and you're waiting to hear back from him," Griffin told her.

"Okay, any idea which hospital?"

Just start calling the ones close to the Palmwoods. As soon as you've located it, call a medical supply company and have them set up a complete room here immediately. Call Premier Nursing Services and have them send the nurse that took care of my wife last year after her enhancement surgery. Then I want you to call Copen and have him standing by," Griffin said.

"For what?" Jessica asked as she pulled up a list of hospitals.

"To start attending his patient of course," Griffin said.

James sat in silence as his friends explained everything they knew. Logan was telling him Mr. Roberts' thinking something was way off when he remembered something.

"Carlos, you said Kendall woke up in the office last night?" James asked.

"Yeah, he said he woke up in the office and then Griffin had his driver take him home AND that Griffin was in the car with him," Carlos said.

"I didn't check Griffin's office, I went to the conference room because that's where I thought the meeting was being held. Griffin was sitting in there alone and said he was just getting ready to leave," James told him as a horrifying realization came over him. Kendall had been telling the truth all along and he hadn't believed him.

"James...are you okay?" Logan asked, noting that his friend had suddenly gone pale.

"I didn't believe him. I'm so stupid, WHY didn't I believe him!?"

"James..." Logan started.

"NO! She called him Kenny, he hates that name! We can't call him Kenny, even his mom can't call him Kenny, so WHY would I think he'd let Jessica him that?" James said, his voice rising.

"James, it's going to be okay," Carlos said.

"I accused him of cheating on me! I hung up on him when he begged me to help him, it's NEVER going to be okay again!" James said, his voice breaking.

"Yes it is because you're going to make it right with him. We just need to find out WHY Jessica is playing these games and put an end to them," Logan said firmly.

"How?" James asked.

"Together," Logan smiled as he quoted what Kendall always said at the end of one of his speeches.

Nurse Owens answered the ER phone at Cedars-Sinai and immediately transferred it to trauma room one. "Dr. Burns, Dr. Copen's assistant is on line two."

Olivia picked up, "This is Dr. Burns."

"Hello Dr. Burns, my name is Ms. James and understand that you're looking for Dr. Copen?"

"Yes, I need to speak with him immediately regarding a mutual patient," Olivia said.

"I'm afraid he's out of town until tomorrow sometime. Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, I'd like you to send over all recent medical records for Kendall Knight," Olivia told her.

"I'm not sure I can do that without Dr. Copen's permission."

"Actually, you can. Kendall is currently a patient of mine and I need to know what treatment has been given in order to give him the proper care," Olivia said.

"I'm afraid I can't do that without Dr. Copen's permission. Besides, I don't really have access to his files," Jessica said.

"I'm sorry...are you a nurse?" Olivia asked.

"I'm his assistant."

"In what context?" Olivia asked.

"I'll have Dr. Copen call you as soon as he gets back into town," Jessica said and then hung up.

"What the hell?" Olivia muttered, looking at the phone.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

Olivia shook her head, "I don't know, but there is definitely something not right about this whole thing."

"Who was that?"

"She said she was Copen's assistant and that he's out of town until tomorrow. She can't, or won't, send me the records without the doctor's consent," Olivia said.

"That seems odd."

"Very, and when I tried to pin her down as to whether she was a nurse or not, she wouldn't clarify it," Olivia said.

"What was her name?" Sam asked.

"She said Ms. James, she didn't give me a first name," Olivia told him as an older doctor walked into the room.

"Olivia, what do we have going on here?" Dr. Chin asked.

She handed him Kendall's file, "Hey David, a seventeen year old assault victim. He tested positive for Ketamine and another drug that Dr. Finer has yet to identify. He's been able to identify certain components in it, including 4-hydroxycourmarin."

David Chin looked over the papers, shaking his head, "That's not a good combination."

"No, and he's been anemic for several days. I've tried getting ahold of the doctor that did the initial exam and work-up, but apparently he's out of town," she told him.

"Alright, so why a nerve block?"

"He's in a lot of pain and we need to do an internal exam and there's no way he'll be able to tolerate it. I wish we could just anesthetize him, but we can't without knowing what else he was given," Olivia said quietly.

He looked at her, "Are you suspecting sexual assault?"

She nodded, "I'm afraid so. Severe bruising around his throat, hips, thighs, and a possible abductor muscle tear. That with the drugs and the fact that he was just dumped by the park, are all indicators of more than just a simple assault. The police have already taken witness statements and are waiting for results of the kit."

"Do his parents know the risks given the excessive bleeding?"

She shook her head, "We haven't been able to get hold of his mom, but legal cleared a family friend to give authorization."

"Alright, let's get this done then," he said going to the cupboard and unlocking it, He pulled out two vials and then a small syringe and catheter from a drawer.

"Sam, can you stay? He might do better with a familiar face if he wakes up and starts panicking," Olivia asked.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sam said as he pushed his chair away from the bed so the doctors could do what they needed to so.

"We'll get this and the exam done and then get him up to a private room on the pediatric floor," Olivia said.

"Why pediatric?" Sam asked.

"There's more security, everyone visiting has to be cleared and have a badge," she told him.

"Good idea," he said.

"Alright, we need to get him on his side," Dr. Chin said as he finished setting up his tray.

Olivia took Kendall's hand and squeezed, "Kendall, we're going to roll you over onto your left side so we can give you something for the pain."

"Hmm?" Kendall mumbled, trying to focus on her voice.

"We're going to move you onto your side and Dr. Chin is going to give you something to stop the pain,"she repeated.

"Okay," he mumbled.

Dr. Chin and a nurse pulled the sheet towards them as Olivia and another nurse rolled Kendall towards them. Kendall jerked fully awake and screamed at the sudden movement "NO, NO, NO!"

Olivia squeezed his hand again, "Kendall, you're alright that was the worst of it sweetheart."

"W-"Where am I?" Kendall asked in confusion.

"You're at Cedars-Sinai, your friends Camille and Sam brought you here," she told him.

"I don't remember...w-why does it h-hurt so much!?"

"We're going to do something about that now. Dr. Chin is going to give you a nerve block to stop the pain," Olivia said.

"W-Who?"

Dr. Chin walked around the bed and smiled at the teen, "Hi Kendall, I'm Dr. Chin and this will only take a few minutes."

"O-Okay."

Dr. Chin walked back and patted Kendall reassuringly on the shoulder. He pulled on some surgical gloves and the nurse opened a package with an alcohol soaked sponge in it. "Alright, now it's going to feel a little cold when I clean the area and then you're going to feel a little sting, and that should be it."

Dr. Chin swabbed the area and then took the small syringe and pulled up some lidocaine. He gently inserted it under the skin and Kendall squeezed down on Olivia's hand.

"It's alright sweetheart, just another couple of minutes," she said.

After waiting a few seconds, Dr. Chin took the catheter and placed it. He pulled up the medication for the nerve block and injected it into the catheter.

Kendall bit his lip as a burning sensation hit, but it was gone just as quickly.

"There we are," Dr. Chin said as he removed the catheter and placed a small bandage over the injection site.

"Thank you David," Olivia said.

He nodded, "I'm on duty until eleven, call if you need me."

"I will," she smiled.

Kendall's breathing slowed a bit as the pain dissipated, "I-I'm so tired."

"Then rest. We'll finish the tests we need and then get you up to a room," Olivia said.

"No...you won't," came a voice from the doorway.

Olivia looked over and saw a tall, white-haired man standing there with a younger blonde woman. "Excuse me, who are you?" Olivia asked.

"Arthur Griffin. His employer and the one responsible for his care while his mother's away," Griffin stated. He nodded to Jessica who looked down the hallway and gestured for someone to join them. A moment later two medics with a gurney started in the door.

Olivia put her hand up, warning them to stay back. "I don't care who you are, my patient is NOT stable and isn't going anywhere."

"That's what you think," Griffin said, waving the medics in.

Olivia looked at one of the nurses, "Call security and the police."

The nurse nodded and quickly dialed a number.

Griffin looked at Jessica who handed Olivia a piece of paper, "I believe this will explain everything."

Olivia took it and gave a cursory glance, "This is a medical release form for when he's on tour without a parent."

"Well, his parent is now on the road doing some work for me, he is underage and in need of care, and this will hold up in a court of law," Griffin told her smugly.

Olivia handed the paper to Sam who started reading it thoroughly.

"It doesn't matter what paperwork you have, the law says he needs to be stable for me to release him, and he's not. You are not allowed back here without my authorization and I will be sending this release form down to legal to determine of OUR liability in this case. Until then you will wait out in the public waiting area," Olivia told him firmly.

"Fine, but no tests will be run without my express permission," Griffin said.

"Agreed...no tests that have not already been started and that the police have not requested ," Olivia said, nodding to security as they came in. "Please escort Mr. Griffin and his staff to the general waiting area and make certain that they don't wander."

"This way please," the security guard said, trying to usher Griffin and Jessica out.

"You're making a very big mistake doctor," Griffin said.

"Somehow I don't think so," Olivia said standing in front of Kendall with her arms crossed.


	17. Chapter 17

"Call my attorney's office and have them send someone here immediately," Griffin told Jessica. He was irritated that the doctor had managed to put off his demands.

Jessica nodded and called. She hung up a few minutes later. "He said he'll send someone right away and that it might be a good idea to to try and get ahold of his mother."

Griffin took her arm and pulled her away to the window, so no one could hear. "Why would I do that? I made sure she was out of the picture for a reason," Griffin hissed.

"I know that, but we have to make a show of it," she hissed back.

"Alright, call and leave a message with her. Keep it short and vague," he ordered.

She nodded and did as he said. "Now what?" she asked as she hung up.

"We get him to my mansion and make sure that he doesn't remember anything."

"You better hope that drug works," Jessica said.

"It will, even if we have to give him another dose," Griffin said coldly.

"Anything?" Olivia asked Sam. He was going over the release form while they waited for someone from legal to come and get it.

He shook his head. "This does give him the right to make all medical decisions when a parent or guardian is not available. However, it also gives Kelly Wainright and Gustavo Rocque permission as well."

"Maybe we can call one of them," she suggested,

"I doubt it'll work. I'm not well versed in contract law but from what I can tell, if Griffin's on the scene he's in charge."

'We CANNOT allow him to take Kendall out of here," Olivia said, clearly frustrated.

"I know...this just says if A parent is not there to make an decisions," Sam said quietly.

"So?"

"What if we get another parent here?" Sam asked.

"I thought his dad was gone?"

Sam smiled, "It doesn't say HIS parent, it says A parent. Since this is a release form for all four boys, if we get one of the other parents here, then they would be the one to make any and all decisions until Jennifer is here."

"That makes sense, but HOW do we get one here?"

Sam pulled out his cell and looked for a number. "We call one."

Copen paced back and forth in his living room. He'd had three calls, besides the one from Jessica. Two from the police and one from Cedars-Sinai. He'd listened to the messages, which were vague, but urgent.

"How do I get myself into these situations?" he asked himself miserably. He was furious with Jessica for not giving him any details, anything could have happened.

He sat down at his desk, trying to decide what to do. Finally he made a decision and he got online and checked his bank account. He found a sizable amount had been deposited an hour ago. He quickly sent the funds to another account he had set up and then closed out the first account. When that was done he packed up his laptop and then went into the bedroom and packed a bag. He checked his briefcase and made sure all of the files were still in it, grabbed his bags, and walked out the door.

Kendall was finally resting quietly, so Olivia called another doctor in to assist with an internal exam. She pulled over a chair so she could sit next to him if he woke up again, wanting him to see a familiar face. Dr. Lydia Jackson came in and Olivia locked the door behind her. Dr. Jackson looked at her curiously.

"Sorry, high profile case," Olivia explained.

"What do we have?" Dr. Jackson asked.

Olivia handed her the file. "We need to do an internal exam as well as a rape kit. I'm not sure how much evidence we can get, it looks like he was bathed after the attack."

Dr. Jackson looked over at Kendall. "Damn, how old is he?"

"Seventeen."

"Where are his parents?" she asked as she collected what she needed and handed it to a nurse.

"His dad died, and no one has been able to get ahold of his mother. His boss is in the waiting room with a release form, demanding that we release him into his care," Olivia said.

"Is that a bad thing?" Dr. Jackson asked.

"I have a very bad feeling about him and the circumstances surrounding the patient's attack. Legal's going over everything now," Olivia told her as she sat next to the teen.

Dr. Jackson saw the name on the file and took a good look at Kendall. "I know him, my daughters love his band."

Olivia nodded. "His friends are on their way here and we're hoping they can shed a little more light on what's been going on."

"Alright, let's get this done then," Dr. Jackson said as she pulled on a pair of sterile gloves.

Half an hour later photos had been taken of all the bruises and marks on Kendall's body. His fingernails were checked for tissue samples, and his mouth was swabbed. "What do you think this is?" Olivia asked, gently touching the abrasion on Kendall's chest.

Dr. Jackson took a look at it. "You said it looked like he'd been bathed?"

"Yes," Olivia said.

"Honestly, it looks like a scrape from a loofah. I've done it to myself a couple of times after I opened a new one."

"So if we find the loofah it should have his DNA on it," Olivia said.

"Definitely,"Dr. Jackson said. A few minutes later she was finishing up the internal exam, when there was a knock at the door.

Olivia checked to make sure Kendall was still sleeping and then went over. "Yes?" she called through the door.

"It's Sam."

"Just a minute, we're almost finished," she told him.

"No problem," Sam said.

Olivia went back over to Kendall and sat next to him as Dr. Jackson finished logging in samples.

"Well?" Olivia asked.

"The good news is that there are no tears, but there is severe bruising. No sign of fluids, but I did find what looks to be lubricating gel. Hopefully we can track the type and maybe the brand down," she said.

"Hopefully," Olivia said.

"He's going to be sore for quite awhile, but it could have been a lot worse judging from his other injuries," Dr. Jackson said.

"I know, but it's still not something anyone should have to go through," Olivia said, pulling the blanket up over Kendall.

"No it's not, but if he has a strong support system he should be alright," Dr. Jackson said reassuringly.

"Being in the public eye is not going to help," Olivia sighed.

"There is that," Dr. Jackson said shaking her head. She picked up the small plastic bags. "I'll take these to the lab myself."

"Thank you Lydia," Olivia smiled as she unlocked the door and opened it for her.

"You're welcome," Lydia said as she headed for the lab.

Olivia held the door for Sam and then locked it behind him. "Well?" he asked.

"There's no tearing, but definite signs of trauma. No fluids, but she found what could be lubricant," Olivia told him.

"Damn it, I was hoping we were wrong," Sam said.

"So was I. Any idea what time your friend should be getting in?" she asked.

"It's a four hour flight, and another hour to get here. Your man in legal is checking to see what we can do to keep Kendall here until he arrives."

"Well, I won't release him until he's stable, so that shouldn't be a problem," Olivia said.

"I hope not."

"Can't you go around or something!?" James asked Harrison. They'd been stuck on the freeway for over an hour.

"I'm sorry Mr. James, but there's no way around and I can't get off until we reach an exit," Harrison said.

"We HAVE to get there!" James said, his voice breaking.

"James, you need to calm down. Harrison is doing the best he can," Carlos said.

"I know he is! It's just..." James said miserably, dropped his head into his hands.

"Look, I'll call and let Mr. Roberts know that we're caught in traffic. Maybe he'll have more information for us," Logan said as he called Camille's number.

Camille's phone rang and Sam looked at the caller ID. "It's Logan," he said. "Hey Logan, what's up?"

"I just wanted to check in. We're stuck on the freeway and wondering how Kendall is," Logan said.

"He seems to be resting quietly now. Any idea how long you'll be?" Sam asked.

"Not really...James is starting to freak out," Logan whispered.

"Tell him Kendall's stable and sleeping now. He'll be alright, he's got the best doctor there is on the job," Sam smiled, looking over at his friend.

"Do you know what happened yet? Did Kendall say anything?" Logan asked.

"He hasn't really been able to say very much. We'll have to wait until he's had a chance to rest," Sam said.

"Okay," Logan sighed.

"Logan, is there anything else you can tell us about what's been going on?" Sam asked, putting him on speaker.

"Like what?"

"Hi Logan, this is Dr. Olivia Burns. Has Kendall had headaches or muscle pain, has his appetite changed, has he been sick to his stomach or sleeping more than usual?"

"Yeah, all of that. What do you think it is?" Logan asked.

"Well, he's definitely anemic and I'm trying to figure out why. Especially since it came on so suddenly," Olivia said carefully.

"I don't know, he's always been really healthy, he rarely even gets a cold," Logan said.

"Has he been taking anything besides the vitamins and supplements?"

"You mean like drugs?" Logan asked.

"Yes, anything prescribed or over-the-counter," Olivia said.

"He doesn't have any prescriptions but he has been taking Tylenol and ibuprofen," Logan told her.

"An excessive amount?"

"I don't know about excessive, but he took it when he had a headache. He hurt himself at work the other day and the doctor told him to take it for pain," Logan told her.

"His hip?"  
"Yeah, I guess he hit it on the corner of a desk," Logan said.

"Okay, if you can think of anything else before you get here, give me a call back," Olivia said.

"I will...he's going to be okay though, right?"

"I think with the right treatment, he'll be just fine," she said.

"Okay, it looks like traffic is actually starting to move, so hopefully we'll be there soon," Logan said.

"Alright, we'll see you then, son," Sam said, hanging up.

"His doctor knew he was anemic, but didn't tell him to stay away from NSAIDs," Olivia said.

"What are you thinking?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure. I really need to see this Copen's notes," Olivia said.

"Do you think he knew about the drug?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. With the sudden onset of anemia, most doctors would have prescribed a low dose of pain reliever instead of risking an NSAID," she said.

"So either he's incompetent..."

"Or he knew that Kendall was being given Ketamine and couldn't risk a prescription pain reliever," Olivia finished.

"Hopefully the police track him down soon," Sam said.

The room phone rang and the nurse answered. "It's for you doctor," she said holding it out to Olivia.

"Thank you," she said taking it. "This is Dr. Burns."

"Dr. Burns, this is Director Simmons. I've had a call regarding your patient, Kendall Knight. Apparently he has someone waiting to transport him to another facility and they're getting impatient." "He is not stable enough for transportation. Right now he's receiving a blood transfusion and his blood pressure and temperature have not stabilized completely."

"Meaning that they have stabilized somewhat since he was brought in?" Simmons asked.

"Since he's been on fluids and received blood, yes, but not enough," Olivia said.

"How much longer until the transfusion is complete?"

"He's on his second unit right now and then I'm going to run another CBC. We was also given a nerve block and we are monitoring for any signs of a hematoma," Olivia told him.

"Alright, if his numbers have not dropped, release him," Simmons said.

"Mr. Simmons..." Olivia started.

"That's an order doctor. Mr. Griffin has already made it quite clear he will have the police come in here and remove him, if necessary. He will also file a lawsuit against the hospital, and you, for not complying with a legal release form."

"Mr. Simmons, there is a very good chance that Mr. Griffin had something to do with Kendall's condition. The police have already been notified about this and are trying to track down the doctor who has been working for Griffin," Olivia said, trying to remain calm.

"The fact is, Mr. Griffin has a legal form granting him custody until the patient's parents relieve him of said custody. Until then, he is under Mr. Griffin's care," Simmons said.

"We have another parent on their way here now. He should be here in a couple of hours and he wants Kendall to remain here," Olivia said.

"Dr. Burns I understand your concerns, I truly do. But the law says Mr. Griffin is his legal guardian until a parent relieves him of custody...which means that parent must be here."

"It's only a couple of hours, and I believe it would be more harmful to move him and then move him back, all for the sake of a piece of paper," Olivia said.

"Unfortunately that piece of paper is the law. Please have him ready to transport as soon as the blood work is finished," Simmons said hanging up.

Olivia hung up and looked at Sam. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"That was the hospital administrator. Griffin is threatening to have the police come and remove Kendall if he's not released as soon as the transfusion and bloodwork are done."

"How long will that be?"

"Half an hour at most," she said.

"Damn it," Sam cursed.

"Isn't there anyway the police can intervene on Kendall's behalf?"

"Not without evidence or a sworn complaint," Sam said.

Olivia went over and sat back down next to Kendall. Looking down at him she came to a decision. She reached over and turned up the flow of blood. "Nurse, please get another unit of blood and then send for Dr. Nelson in hematology to assist with the bloodwork."

"Dr. Nelson has already left for the day," the nurse said.

Olivia smiled. "Then please call him and let him know that I have an unusal case that I need help with."

The nurse smiled back as she hung another unit of blood. "Yes doctor. Would you like me to do that before or after my dinner break?"

"After your dinner break will be fine. It'll take another hour or so to finish the next unit," Olivia said.

"Yes doctor. I need to run an errand, but I will have my phone with me," the nurse told her, handing her a slip of paper with her number on it.

Olivia smiled as she took it. "Thank you."

"What are you up to?" Sam asked.

"Giving my patient the best care possible" she said.

Griffin was impatiently pacing the ER waiting room. He'd spoken to the hospital administrator over an hour ago, and there was still no sign that the doctor was going to release Kendall.

"That bloodwork should be done. Go find out where they're at with thing," Griffin ordered Jessica.

She rolled her eyes but walked up to the nurse's station. "Excuse me, Mr. Griffin is wondering when his charge, Kendall Knight, will be ready to leave."

"Let me call and find out,' the nurse smiled. She typed something into her computer and read it. "It says they're waiting for Dr. Nelson to interpret the blood results and then he should be ready to go."

"How long will that be?" Jessica asked.

"It shouldn't be too much longer, Dr. Nelson should be arriving any time now," the nurse said.

"Why couldn't the other doctor do it?"

"I'm not sure, but Dr. Nelson is the hematologist on-call," the nurse told her.

"This is ridiculous and Mr. Griffin is NOT going to be pleased," Jessica stated as she turned and went back over to Griffin.

She told him what the nurse had said and he pulled out his phone. "I'm done waiting. I want an officer here now, so I can get our patient settled in for the night," Griffin ordered.

Olivia was waiting for results of the bloodwork, Dr. Nelson had come in and was running it himself. Camille had joined them and was sitting in a chair next to Kendall. Sam had opted not to tell her everything right now, although he knew she suspected.

She was humming softly to her friend, holding his hand, and gently running her fingers over his. He had been resting quietly since the nerve block and Sam was grateful for that, the next few days were not going to be easy ones. He looked at the clock and saw it was just after midnight. "The boys should be here any minute and Antonio in two hours," he thought.

Kendall could hear someone he didn't recognize quietly speaking, someone else was humming a tune he thought he knew. He tried to open his eyes, but he was so tired and his head hurt. He shifted a little and someone squeezed his hand.

"Kendall, are you awake?" Camille asked.

He recognized Camille's voice and managed to open his eyes, although the left one didn't want to open all the way. "C-Cami?" he managed to get out.

"Yes, it's me sweetie."

"W-Where am I?"

Olivia went over and stood next to Camille. "Kendall, my name's Olivia and you're in the hospital. Can you tell me if you remember anything?"

"W-Why am I in the hospital, did I crash the car? The guys are going to be so mad," Kendall said, his breathing picking up.

"No sweetie, you weren't in an accident. Do you remember being sick for the last few days?" Olivia asked.

Kendall tried to think back, but his mind was foggy. "I think so."

"Do you remember anything that happened today?" Olivia asked as the room phone rang.

"Doctor..." the nurse said.

Olivia looked over. "What is it?"

The nurse covered the receiver and gestured for Olivia to go over to her. "It's the nurse's station. The police are here to escort the patient out."

"What? They can't do that we don't even have the blood results yet," Olivia said taking the phone. "This is Dr. Burns and we are still waiting on the results from the last CBC/PCV."

"I'm sorry Dr. Burns, but they're insisting. Mr. Simmons is also on his way down," the nurse told her.

"Damn it," Olivia said under her breath as she hung up.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"They're going to take him," Olivia said.

Sam looked over at Kendall, who was sleeping again. "Maybe not. If we can get him to remember anything, we can file a complaint."

"We only have few minutes before they get here," Olivia said.

Sam went over and took Kendall's hand from Camille. "Kendall, I need you to wake up for a few minutes."

"Hmm?"

"Wake up, this is very important," Sam said firmly.

Kendlal jerked awake. "What?"

"This is very important, I need you to remember what happened today," Sam said.

"I don't know."

"I need you to tell me who hurt you," Sam said. He was trying to remain vague because he didn't want anyone to think he'd influenced the boy's answers.

There was a knock at the door and someone tried the handle.

"Daddy..." Camille said.

Sam tried to think of a way to jolt the teen's memory and remembered what Kendall had said when they first found him. "Kendall, WHERE did James leave you? Why didn't he help you?"

"J-James?"

"Yes, why did you need James to get you?"

"Jamie..." Kendall said, trying to remember.

The phone rang again and the nurse answered. She looked over at Olivia. "They said to open up now or we'll all be charged."

"Kendall, please son, you need to tell me now!" Sam said.

The door opened and several people walked in, including two policemen, Griffin, Jessica, and a very irate looking man in a suit.

"Please step away from the patient," the first officer said.

"You can't take him yet, we are still waiting on blood results," Olivia said standing in front of Kendall's bed.

"You can fax them to his doctor. Jessica, give her the number," Griffin ordered.

"I thought his doctor was out of town," Olivia said.

"He's on his way back and I have many people on my staff," Griffin said smugly.

"He has a jugular catheter in and he was given an epidural. BOTH of those things need to be monitored constantly, and until you have someone who can do that, he will NOT be going anywhere," Olivia said, standing her ground.

"Dr. Burns..." Mr. Simmons started.

"No! Do you really want to risk a lawsuit on this? We have NO clue as to the qualifications of his 'staff''. He hasn't confirmed he has an actual doctor to look after him and quite frankly, the doctor who HAS been responsible for his care, has been lacking to say the least," Olivia told him.

Mr. Simmons looked at Griffin. "DO you have a physician with emergency care training to look after the boy?"

"I assure you, he'll have everything he needs," Griffin smiled.

"That's not really an answer. Dr. Burns is correct that since we placed the catheter, and we did the nerve block, that we ARE responsible if anything goes wrong," Mr. Simmons said.

"Then have your people draw something up, releasing you from all liability, and I'll sign it-since you seem to need the reassurance," Griffin said in an irritated tone.

Sam was still trying to get Kendall to respond since everyone else was distracted. The teen kept drifting off, unable to focus for more than a few seconds.

"Sir, please step away from the patient," one of the officers asked. Sam looked over and the man gave him an understanding look, but there was nothing he could do.

Sam pulled the blanket up and made sure Kendall was covered. Then he put his arm around Camille's shoulders, pulling her away.

"Daddy, please something!" Camille begged.

"It's out of my hands sweetheart. Officer Garcia will be here soon, and we'll go get him, I promise."

Jessica went to the door and waved the medics in as Griffin signed the release went over and transferred Kendall to the gurney, care to mind the IV lines attached to the teen.

"Be careful! If that catheter slips he could bleed out!" Olivia yelled, angry at the way things had gone. She went over and secured the cervical collar for extra protection. She reached over and brushed Kendall's bangs back. "I'm so sorry, this shouldn't be happening."

"Mama, I don't f-feel well," Kendall mumbled.

"I know sweetheart, but you'll be feeling better in no time," Olivia promised, her eyes filling with tears.

Sam went over and pulled her back, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders.

The medics started out the door and down the hallway, Griffin walking next to the gurney. They got to the ambulance and as the medics opened the doors, Griffin smiled down at Kendall. "I told you daddy would take care of his boy."


	18. Chapter 18

Harrison pulled into the hospital parking lot and James jumped out, not waiting for the car to stop completely.

"James!" Logan yelled as he and Carlos jumped out and followed him.

James ran into the waiting room and up to the nurse's desk. "We're here for Kendall Knight."

"Alright, do you know when he was admitted?" the nurse asked typing Kendall's name into the computer.

"A-A couple of hours ago. Friends brought him into the emergency room," James told her.

She nodded. "It looks like he's still in the E.R. There's no record of his being released or a room number yet."

"Well where's the E.R.?!" James asked as Logan and Carlos caught up with him.

"I'm sorry, are you family?" she asked.

"Yes, we're his brothers," Carlos said calmly.

"What's your name?" she asked, noting the apparent lack of resemblance the boys had to one another.

"Carlos Garcia, we have different dads," he said, smiling sweetly.

"Dr. Burns is expecting us," Logan said.

The nurse nodded and pointed to her left. "Go down this corridor and take a left. Keep going until you reach a hallway with vending machines. Go right and through the double doors and you'll be there."

"Thank you," James said taking off.

"PLEASE WALK!" she called after him.

James slowed, but as soon as they were out of her sight, took off at a run again.

"James you need to slow down!" Logan yelled as he and Carlos tried to keep up with their taller friend.

They got to the hallway where the vending machines were and turned right. Carlos got to the door first and held his hand up. "James, you NEED to stay calm and not make a scene. There could be paparazzi around and you don't want them suspecting anything."

James took a deep breath and nodded. Carlos held the door for him and Logan and followed them up to the nurses' station.

The nurse watched the boys as they headed down the hallway and called down to the E.R. nurses' station to have them let Dr. Burns know they were on their way.

She was just going back to inputting the files she'd been working on when a man came up to the desk and just stood there for a moment.

"May I help you?" she asked.

He cleared his throat and took a step closer. He set a manila file on the counter. "I need to get this to Kendall Knight's doctor as soon as possible, please."

"What is it?"

"It's his medical file. Someone needs to get it to them immediately. It could be a matter of life or death," he said, turning to go.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"A coward," he said quietly as he walked out the door. Copen quickly walked to his car and got in. He took a deep breath, said a quiet prayer, and drove off.

"I told you daddy would take care of his boy." Griffin said. Kendall's eyes snapped open and he started screaming.

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE, DON'T HURT ME!" The teen started struggling against the straps that were holding him to the gurney and panicked when he realized he couldn't feel his legs.

"Get him in the ambulance," Griffin hissed at the medics.

They looked conflicted but lifted the gurney and pushed it into the ambulance.

Hold it," Officer Jordan ordered.

"We need to get him to his doctor, follow us if you must," Griffin told the officer as he climbed in, pulling one of the doors closed.

Olivia and Sam heard Kendall scream and both went running. Olivia reached the ambulance first, but Officer Jordan stopped her from climbing in. "I'm sorry doctor, but it's a private ambulance and I can't allow you in without permission," he said. His jaw was clenched and Olivia could tell he was angry at the way things were going.

"You need to DO something!" Olivia said as Kendall screamed again.

"I can't," he said, feeling just as frustrated as she was.

"NO!" Kendall screamed again.

"Close the door," Griffin hissed at the medic.

The medic gave Olivia a sympathetic look as he closed the door. Sam came up and put his arm round her as the ambulance pulled away.

"Come on," Sam said as he guided his friend back inside.

"This isn't right," she said shaking her head.

"I know but Antonio will be here soon an we'll go get him," Sam said.

They walked down the hallway towards the room and Camille flung herself at her father.

"Daddy," she said starting to cry.

"It's going to be alright honey," he said.

"C-Camille?!" Logan called from down the hallway.

Sam looked over and saw the three boys running towards them.

"Where's Kendall?!" James asked.

"What happened, why are you crying?" Logan asked Camille.

"Boys, lets go in here," Olivia said, heading for the room Kendall had been in.

"NO! Where is he?!" James asked, panic in his eyes.

"Griffin took him to a private facility," Sam told him.

"What, why?" James asked as a surge of anger went through him.

"We should speak in private," Olivia said, holding the door for them. They went inside and she was about to close the door when an intern ran up.

"Dr. Burns, a gentleman dropped this off file off for you. It's regarding your patient, Kendall Knight."

She quickly opened it and read the note on top. She kept the note and pushed the file back into the intern's hands, "Get this to Dr. Nelson STAT!"

"Yes doctor," the intern said, running for the nurses' station.

"SAM!" Olivia yelled as she ran for the E.R. bay doors.

"What the hell?" he said following her. "Stay here!" he yelled back to Camille and the boys.

Olivia got outside and ran for the police car that was just starting to pull away. "STOP!" she yelled, waving her arms.

The Officer Jordan stopped and rolled down his window. "What is it?"

She got to him and handed him the note. "We have to stop that ambulance."

He read the note and nodded. "Get in," he said as he unlocked the doors.

"Olivia, what's going on?" Sam yelled as he came up behind her.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the backseat of the police car and handed him the note.

Griffin sat in the back of the ambulance with Kendall and one of the medics. Kendall was still screaming and struggling to get free.

"Do something to quiet him down," Griffin ordered.

"I can't give him anything without a doctor's order," the medic said, glancing at the monitors. He made a notation in the chart he'd started. He looked over at Kendall and quickly went back to the teen's side, grabbing a towel. He pulled the oxygen mask off and held the towel to Kendall's face, trying to stem the flow of blood from his nose. The monitor started beeping as Kendall's blood pressure spiked and then dropped.

It was suddenly quiet and then the medic yelled to the driver. "Turn around now! I need help in here!"

"What do you think you're doing?" Griffin asked angrily.

"He's crashing, and we need to get him to a hospital now," the medic told him.

"Then go to L.A. Memorial," Griffin ordered.

"It's too far," he said.

"You will do as you're told!" Griffin demanded.

"The police are ordering us to pull over," the driver called back to them.

"Do it!" his partner said.

"Do NOT stop," Griffin ordered.

The driver ignored him and pulled into the nearest parking lot. Officer Jordan got out and walked over to the ambulance. Olivia tried to open the door, but the safety locks were on. "Damn it!"

"It's alright, we'll be back at the hospital in a couple of minutes," Sam told her.

Jordan indicated for the driver to roll down the window and the driver did as he was told. "Follow me back to Cedars-Sinai now."

"Tell him we need to hurry," the medic called up to the driver.

"The patient is in distress," the driver said.

Jordan nodded and ran back for his car. He got in and hit the sirens and lights. "They're following, they said the patient is in distress."

"Damn it, let me ride with them," Olivia said.

"It's only going to take a couple of minutes to get back and you still have no authority there," Sam explained.

"But..."

"No, you cannot risk your license and there's nothing you can do until we get there anyway. The medics can take care of him for five minutes," Sam told her.

Olivia sighed, knowing Sam was right. She looked out the window, bouncing her leg up and down until the pulled back into the hospital E.R. bay. "Open the door!"

Jordan jumped out and opened the back door and Olivia and Sam got out. The ambulance pulled in behind them, backing in. Jordan walked over and opened the back door. Olivia pushed past the officer and quickly climbed into the ambulance. She saw blood all over the teen and gurney, the medic holding a towel to Kendall's face. "What happened?"

"He started bleeding and his blood pressure spiked and now it's dropping," he told her.

"Get out so we can get him to his OWN doctor," Griffin ordered, grabbing Olivia's arm and pulling her towards the door.

"Take your hands off of me or I will have you arrested for assault and battery," she said.

"You are interfering and causing delays. If ANYTHING happens to that boy, it's on you," Griffin said angrily.

Olivia ignored Griffin and looked at the medic. "Do you have the training and resources to stabilize him en route?"

The medic looked from Kendall to Griffin to Olivia. He shook his head, "I don't."

"Get him back inside," she said climbing out and stepping to the side so the medics could pull Kendall out.

Griffin pointed at the medic. "You will do as I say or I will see to it that you lose your license and never work again."

"I'd rather lose my license that way than because I let a kid die because I was afraid of doing the right thing," he said as he pushed the other door open. He jumped out and hit the side of the ambulance. "Joe, get back here and help me!"

While the medic was distracted, Griffin reached into his pocket and quickly opened a small vial. He poured the fine powder into his hand and reaching over, pulled the towel away and blew the powder into Kendall's face. He quickly replaced the towel as the boy started to cough.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked Griffin as the medics pulled the gurney back out.

"Just telling him that everything is going to be fine," Griffin said with a smirk.

Olivia looked at him suspiciously and checked Kendall as soon as they had him out. He was coughing and wheezing. She undid the straps, "Get him on his side, he's aspirating blood."

They got him onto his left side and Olivia held onto him as they rushed back inside.

Officer Jordan stood outside the ambulance and then motioned for Griffin to get out. "You have some explaining to do."

"I don't have to explain myself to anyone," Griffin said smugly.

"Well I have a letter from YOUR employee, Dr. Copen, that says you do. Now, we can do this the easy way, or I can climb in there and pull you out. It's ALL up to you," Jordan told him.

"How DARE you!"

Officer Jordan smirked. "You have NO idea of what I'd dare, so I advise you to do as you're told."

Griffin grumbled but got out, looking around for Jessica and his car. He pulled out his cell and called her."Get back to Cedars-Sinai with my attorney NOW."

They rushed Kendall back into the trauma room, past the boys and Camille. They stared in shock at their friend's blood covered face. "No..." James whispered as he turned white.

Sam saw him start to go down and he and Carlos caught him before he hit the floor.


	19. Chapter 19

They got Kendall back onto the hospital bed. "Get his readings and call Drs. Nelson and Finer down here now. I need to know what we're looking at," Olivia ordered, as she checked Kendall's eyes. She saw they were fully dilated again noticed a fine dust of some sort on his eyebrow.

"What the hell...sterile swab please," she asked holding out her hand.

A nurse handed her a sterile swab and she opened it and ran it along the teen's brow. "Bag and tag this and get it to the lab, please," she said handing it back to the nurse.

"Yes doctor."

"Hang another bag of ringers and have another unit of blood on stand by," Olivia said.

The monitors started beeping again. "Blood pressure is dropping, 80 over 30," the nurse said.

"Open the flow full and draw up .5 Epi," Olivia ordered.

"70 over 20," the nurse said.

"Start a slow push of Epi," Olivia said.

"Starting slow push," the nurse said as she placed the needle of the syringe in one of the catheter ports and started watching the clock closely.

Kendall started coughing again and blood appeared on his lips.

"Kendall, can you hear me?" Olivia asked, squeezing his hand.

"What's wrong with him,?" Logan asked from the doorway.

Olivia looked over at him. "You need to wait outside."

"Why is he coughing up blood, is he bleeding internally?!" Logan asked, panic in his voice.

"He's just clearing his throat. He had a severe nose bleed and swallowed some blood. Tell Camille and Sam to take you boys to my office and I'll be there as soon as he's stable," Olivia said.

"James passed out and they have him next door," Logan said quietly.

"Is he alright?" she asked.

Logan nodded. "Shock."

"Go wait with him then and I'll be over as soon as I can," Olivia said, turning her attention back to Kendall.

"H-He's g-going to be alright, t-though?" Logan asked, starting to lose his composure.

Olivia looked back over at him. "Are you Logan?"

Logan nodded.

She smiled softly. "I think he's going to be okay. We just need to get his blood pressure stabilized."

Logan nodded again but just stood there... he couldn't take his eyes off of his friend.

Olivia caught a nurse's eye and nodded her head towards Logan. She went over and put her arm around the teen's shoulders. "Come on honey, let's go check on your other friend."

Logan nodded again and allowed her to lead him next door.

 

* * *

 

"Mr. Griffin, I'm waiting for an answer," Officer Jordan said. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked thoroughly unimpressed with the older man.

"I told you, I don't have to explain my self to anyone," Griffin said dismissively.

"You can either explain it here or downtown," Jordan said.

Griffin gave him an exasperated sigh. "I have no idea WHAT Copen was up to. I gave the man a job and a chance to save his career. Whatever he did, he did on his own."

"The note he left says differently," Jordan told him.

"Of course it does. The man nearly lost his license for a surgical mistake he made while on drugs. He was in rehab and I thought he deserved a second chance, so I gave him one. Now I find, not only has he fallen off the wagon, he's implicated ME in his illegal dealing!"

Jordan watched him for a moment, not believing a word he said. "It's YOUR lab that's creating the experimental drug. Does he have the authorization to order that?"

"He said he had an idea for a new surgical sedative that could decrease recovery time, so I gave him permission to work with the lab on it," Griffin said.

"So...you're saying that you gave permission to someone, who's already BEEN in trouble for the illegal use of drugs, to develop a NEW drug that includes controlled substances?"

"As I said, I believed he deserved a second chance. He took advantage of my generous nature and I will see to it that he is held accountable for his actions!" Griffin stated.

"Tell me, did the authorization to work with your lab include illegal human testing?" Jordan asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Griffin said.

"Well I guess we'll just have to wait for warrants for the lab records, as well as for your DNA," Jordan said taking Griffin by the arm.

"Release me immediately!" Griffin demanded as Jordan pulled him towards the hospital doors.

Jordan ignored his demands. "We can wait here for those warrants or downtown. Your choice."

Griffin huffed. "My attorney will be here shortly and then I will be making a call to the chief of police. You might want to reconsider your attitude and your actions."

Jordan pulled Griffin around and looked him in the eye. "You would do well to remember that right now, you are under investigation for several felony crimes, so you might want to adjust YOUR attitude a bit. I am telling you right now that if we find your DNA on that boy...you will be going away for a VERY long time. I will personally see to it that you spend a great deal of time with men who LOVE to make an example of rich, self-entitled bastards like you," Jordan growled.

"You want a DNA sample? Go ahead, take one. You won't find anything." Griffin smirked.

"Well, let's go take care of that right now." Jordan smiled as he pulled Griffin through the hospital doors.

 

* * *

 

_James was standing beside Kendall's bed. The room was eerily quiet, everyone had left to give him some time alone with the other boy. He looked down at the pale face and reached out to run his fingers through the blond's hair. The last words they had exchanged resonated in his ears._

_"J-Jamie?"_

_"Why are you calling me? Didn't I make myself clear this morning and NOW you're calling from a different number so I won't know it's you?"_

_"No... Jamie please, I need help. S-Something bad happened...it's hurts so much."_

_"Call your girlfriend," James snapped._

_"Please Jamie, she's not my girlfriend and it hurts so bad," Kendall pleaded._

_"This is the last time I'm going to say this, STOP calling me that. You are really pushing it now so I guess that means you don't care about our friendship either."_

_"N-No, James please! You don't understand..." Kendall sobbed._

_"Go away and stop doing this to me!"_

_James reached down and took Kendall's hand. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Please wake up, you can't leave me Kendall! I love you so much," James sobbed._

_The other boy was still, his hand lying limp in James' firm grasp. His fingers were cold, so James gently rubbed them, trying to warm them. "I swear to God that I'll never leave you alone again. I'll take care of you and protect you l-like I-I should have in the first place. I l-love you s-so much, please open your eyes!"_

_"James...we need to go," Logan said quietly from the doorway._

_"NO! I WON"T LEAVE HIM!" James yelled, angry tears falling._

_Carlos reached over and gently tried to pull him away from Kendall. "We have to go so they can take care of him."_

_"NO! I'LL TAKE CARE OF HIM! HE'S MY LOVE... MY LIFE!" James yelled, pulling away._

_"It's too late James. Now we need to go so they can do what they need to," Logan said firmly as pushed James away from the bed and towards the door._

_"No!" James growled, pushing his friends away and making his way back to Kendall's side. He reached down, kissed Kendall's cheek, and rested his head on his shoulder. He heard Kendall's voice,"Why didn't you help me Jamie?"_

_He breathed a sigh of relied at the sound of Kendall's voice. "Thank God," he said hugging Kendall to him._

_"You were too late Jamie. Where were you when I needed you? You promised you'd always be there for me...you LIED!" Kendall cried._

_"I'm sorry. I'll never leave you again!" James said, pulling away slightly._

_"It's too late."_

_James looked down in shock at Kendall's blood stained face. His hair was matted with blood and his green eyes were open and unseeing._

_"NO!"James screamed as hands pulled him away._


	20. Chapter 20

United flight 5581 touched down at LAX at about 1:45 am. Antonio Garcia jumped up, grabbed his bag from the overhead compartment, and made his way to the door where the attendant was waiting to open it. The flight crew had been notified that he was a police officer flying in because of a family emergency and had requested that all other passengers wait until he had been allowed off the plane. As soon as the attendant got the all clear she opened the door for him.

"Just go down the ramp to the terminal gate. They have someone waiting for you there."

"Thank you for all your help," he said, giving her a small smile.

"I hope everything is alright," she said, smiling back.

"So do I," he said as he started down the walkway. He ran until he reached the terminal gate where he flashed his badge and they quickly waved him through. He ran to the arrival gate where he found two LA police officers waiting for him.

"Officer Garcia?" the older officer asked.

Antonio nodded and offered his hand. "Antonio."

"Jack Lane," Officer Lane said. "This is Officer Brenda Reynolds," he said, nodding towards his partner.

Antonio shook her hand. "I can't thank you enough for your help."

"Glad we could do something," Lane said as they headed through the security doors to bypass airport traffic.

"Do you know anything about what happened?" Antonio asked as walked down the hallway.

"Just that one of your boys was found injured near his home. They haven't really told us anything else," Lane said as he pushed open a door that led to the outside.

They quickly walked across the small parking lot to where the patrol unit was parked and got in. Reynolds hit the siren and lights and pulled out. "We should be there in about twenty or thirty minutes," she said.

"Thank you," Antonio said, pulling his cell out. He punched in Sam's number.

"Roberts," Sam answered.

"Sam, it's Antonio. I'm on my way to the hospital now, we should be there in half an hour. How's Kendall?"

Sam walked out into the hallway, indicating that the boys and Camille should stay in the room. "Thank God. There have been a few complications, but he's here and Olivia is working on him now. James passed out a little while ago and the doctor has him resting in the room next to Kendall's. The other boys and Camille are staying with him."

"Is he alright?"

"Doctor said shock. They had just brought Kendall in and he had blood all over his face. I guess James doesn't handle that kind of thing too well," Sam said. He didn't want to tell him about the two boys being in a relationship unless it was necessary. It wasn't really his place.

"Do the doctors have any idea what's going on with Kendall?"

"Yeah...I think we should wait until you're here to discuss that, it's a little involved. They did do a complete exam and he was sexually assaulted. No forensic evidence that they could find beyond a possible lubricant sample," Sam said quietly.

"Damn it! Do the boys know?" Antonio asked, his voice breaking. Visions of all the boys through the years flashed though his mind, and he felt physically ill at the thought of one of them being attacked like this.

"No, they think I brought him in because he was sick. I wanted to wait for you because this isn't going to be easy for them to handle. We still haven't been able to get ahold of Jennifer or Mrs. Diamond," Sam said quietly.

"That doesn't make sense. There is no way they would leave without checking in several times a day," Antonio said.

"I know. Unfortunately the one person who knows when, where, and how they were traveling is considered a prime suspect," Sam told him.

"Do the boys have any idea where they might be?" Antonio asked.

"They only know that Griffin had arranged for them to make appearances in San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and Sacramento. They said that they're also supposed to be making an appearance on one of the morning shows in Lake Tahoe sometime this weekend, but they don't know which station or when," Sam told him.

"When was the last time they heard from them?"

"Last Friday," Sam said.

"They didn't think there was something wrong?"

"Logan said that they've left messages. They really didn't think much about it because they assumed they were busy working for Griffin."

"Can we get a trace on one of their cell phones?" Antonio asked.

"If Griffin won't tell us where they are we can petition the courts, but that won't be until morning, at the earliest," Sam said.

Antonio huffed in frustration. "Alright, we should be there in a few minutes and we'll get this figured out."

"We'll see you soon," Sam said hanging up.

* * *

Kendall could hear Griffin ordering someone around as he tried to open his eyes. He started struggling to get away from the man who had so viciously attacked him, but couldn't escape. He couldn't move his arms and he couldn't feel his legs. He screamed at them to let him go, only to start choking on a coppery tasting fluid. He suddenly felt very hot and a blinding pain shoot through his head. It lasted only a moment though and then he went numb. Someone was holding something to his face and then he heard a woman's soft voice.

A moment later Griffin's voice was back, whispering in his ear. "Daddy will be coming for his bad boy VERY soon."

Kendall tried to pull away but Griffin was holding onto him. He felt Griffin's hot breath and then started coughing again as the powder Griffin blew into his face made it's way into his lungs.

The woman's voice returned and could feel them moving again. He started feeling strange, like he was moving above the gurney. A moment later he heard someone calling to him again and he managed to open his eyes.

He couldn't seem to focus his eyes, everything was a blur...like a movie on fast forward. Voices that had been clear started to change and sounded like white noise. Then the noise cleared and voices made their way through.

_"Look, I just called to say I was sorry and that's it. What I said before still goes, I don't want to talk to you for awhile."_

_"How do you like me now?"_

_"You're going to do what the doctor says."_

_"Come on baby, it's time to wake up."_

_"How did her lip gloss get into YOUR hair?"_

_"I need to take my little perky pill, it takes awhile to kick in."_

_"Do what I say or next week one of your friends will be in here spending some quality time with me."_

_"Go away and stop doing this to me!"_

_"I SAID...WATCH ME!"_

Kendall was staring up at the ceiling which morphed into a mirror and he could see Griffin on top of him again.

_"You're ruined, I could never want you now," James said. Kendall turned his head to the side and saw James standing there._

_"Jamie help me!"_

_"You're not worth it, you're disgusting. No one will want you now," James said turning away._

_"Not true, I want you. I OWN you and I will do what I want with you," Griffin smirked as he buried his face in Kendall's neck._

_"I can't leave you boys alone for five minutes! You are SO irresponsible, I am so disappointed in you," Jen said._

_"Mom, please help me!" Kendall cried._

_She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "He can have you, you're no son of mine. You should have died with your father."_

_"Mom...please!" Kendall sobbed._

_"Pathetic, you were a mistake from the beginning," Jen said._

_"You see, only I want you and I can do anything I want to you," Griffin smirked._

_Kendall pushed Griffin up and away from him. The older man backhanded him and grabbed him by the hair._

_"No!" Kendall yelled. He felt himself sinking deeper into the mattress and then suddenly, he was lying on the floor. He stood up and ran for the door. He opened it and ran through, going to the other door. After a moment realized he was now running on sand and could see shadows closing in around him. He stopped and turned, finding himself looking out at the ocean. He closed his eyes as the sun warmed him and he listened to the sound of the waves crashing to shore. He felt peaceful and safe as he stepped into the water._

Olivia was speaking to Drs. Finer and Nelson about how to proceed. "Until we know exactly what we're dealing with, I think the safest treatment for the moment is Vitamin K. It will help stop the breakdown of red blood cells and hopefully prevent any permanent damage," Dr. Nelson said.

"I agree. Until we break down all the components, the dosages, and how they've been interacting, we can't risk using anything else." Dr. Finer said.

"Any idea how long that will be?" Olivia asked.

"Hopefully not too long. The notes from Dr. Copen are fairly detailed and the fact we have the lab spec sheets will definitely expedite the process," Finer said.

"Okay, let's start with Vitamin K," Olivia said, walking back to Kendall's bedside.

"Dr. Burns, his respiration has dropped to ten," the nurse said.

"How are his other vitals?"

"Blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate are stable."

Olivia took his hand and gently squeezed it. "Kendall, can you hear me?"

A moment late Kendall's eyes opened but he wasn't focusing on her. He was looking at the ceiling and not blinking.

"Kendall... sweetie can you hear me?" Olivia asked.

The monitors started beeping as Kendall's respiration dropped even further. "Respiration has dropped to eight," the nurse said.

"What the hell?" Olivia murmured as she looked at the monitors. She checked Kendall's eyes again and remembered the powder on his face. She cursed as she realized what the powder must have been."

"Prepare for intubation. Call the lab and tell them we need the results from that swab, STAT," she ordered as she lowered the head of the bed. One of the nurses handed her an endotracheal tube as another called the lab.

"What's going on?" Sam asked from the doorway. He had gone to check on Kendall after getting off the phone with Antonio.

"I have a strong suspicion he was given more Ketamine," Olivia said as she prepared to intubate the teen.

"Why do you think that?"

"He had some kind of powder on his face when we brought him back in and now his respiration is dropping," she told him as she inserted the tube. Once it was placed she secured it with tape and then attached it to the oxygen line.

Sam went over and stood next to the bed. "Antonio is on his way. He should be here in just a little while."

"Good...we need to check Griffin for the drug before he gets rid of it," she said, heading for the door.

Sam stopped her." Olivia, we can't do anything until the warrants come through."

"What the hell are we doing here then? Why do HIS rights supersede the victim's? We need to know if he gave that boy anymore Ketamine and how much!" Olivia yelled, completely frustrated.

"I know this is hard, but if we don't do things by the book then Griffin could walk," Sam said gently.

"What if we asked the medics, maybe it's in the ambulance?" she asked.

"That we can do," Sam nodded and opened the door for her.

She looked over at Dr. Finer. "Ben, could you stay with him and make sure..."

The other doctor nodded, giving her a small smile. "I'll stay with him until you return and I'll start the Vitamin K treatment."

"Thank you," Olivia said as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

Olivia and Sam headed down the hall for the ambulance bay and saw Officer Jordan and Griffin walking towards them.

"Doctor, Mr. Griffin has consented to give us a DNA sample," Jordan said.

Olivia stopped and looked at him. "Really, well why don't we take care of that now?" she said.

"Go ahead. As I told this...officer, you won't find anything," Griffin said smugly.

"Then we should do this by the book, so there's no question as to the legitimacy of the tests," she said, pointing back down the hallway to a room.

"I'll go speak to the medics," Sam said, continuing towards the ambulance bay.

"Thanks Sam," Olivia said. She looked over at Griffin, "Are you ready to do this?"

"Lead the way, and when we're finished I'll be taking my charge to the private facility I've arranged to care for him," Griffin said.

_No way in hell,_ Olivia thought, biting back a response as she led the way to another room. She logged into the computer, searched for the release form, and printed it up. She put it on a clipboard and handed it to Griffin. "Please read it thoroughly and then sign at the bottom. We'll have Officer Jordan and Nurse Renner witness it."

Griffin took it and glanced through it. He signed the bottom and handed it back to over to Jordan who signed it as Olivia took some items from a drawer. He in turn, handed it to the nurse, who also signed it. She set it on the counter and printed up the identifying labels for the samples.

Olivia pulled on a pair of sterile gloves and stood in front of Griffin. She opened a sterile swab. "Open please."

Griffin smirked, but opened his mouth for her. She ran the swab inside his mouth, put it back into the container, and handed it to the nurse. Standing close to the older man, she noticed a familiar scent. She sniffed and smiled at Griffin. "That's a very nice scent, is it a special cologne?" Olivia asked as she opened a baggy.

"Exclusive line of men's products from Harrods. Only the finest ingredients are used," he said.

"So, not something I would find at Walmart?" she asked.

"Hardly," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Good!" she said as she reached over and plucked a few hairs from his head.

"Ow! What do you think you're doing!" he yelled, rubbing his head.

"Collecting DNA samples," she shrugged as she placed the hairs into the small baggy.

"I did NOT consent to that!" he yelled, grabbing for the bag.

Jordan put his arm up, holding the older man back.

"Actually, you did. The consent form CLEARLY states that samples may include, but not be limited to... saliva, blood, skin, urine, semen, and hair samples," Olivia told him, handing the bag to the nurse. "Label those and get them to the lab. Tell them to put a rush on it."

"Yes Dr. Burns," the nurse said, gathering what she needed.

There was a knock at the doorway and Griffin's attorney and Jessica walked in.

"What is going on here?" the attorney asked.

"Just finishing up collecting DNA samples," Olivia said.

"Do you happen to have a warrant for these samples?"

"We don't need one. Mr. Griffin generously offered." Olivia smiled.

"Wrong, without one these samples are inadmissible in court," the attorney smirked.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken about that." She smiled as she showed him the signed release form.

"You did NOT tell me you would be doing anything other than a swab," Griffin said.

His attorney took the form and quickly read it. He took Griffin's arm and pulled him over. "Arthur, a word please."

"Take care of this," Griffin hissed.

"You SIGNED a release form in front of witnesses, one of whom is a police officer. What were you thinking?"

"How was I supposed to know she would start yanking my hair out?"

"It's ON the form," his attorney told him.

"I was lead to believe it was just an oral swab," Griffin said.

"Did they tell you that?"

"Not in so many words."

"Did you actually read the release form?" his attorney sighed, knowing his client's arrogant and often misguided behavior.

"Just do something about this," Griffin said.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done about it. You signed it with witnesses present."

"How was I supposed to know she would start yanking out my hair?" Griffin asked angrily.

"It doesn't matter which DNA sample they use... you did nothing wrong, so stop worrying."

"Just get it back," Griffin ordered.

His attorney looked at him and whispered. "There is nothing for you to be worrying about...right?"

"What is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Arthur..."

"Jessica, come here," Griffin said, ignoring the other man.

"Yes Mr. Griffin," she said walking over to him

"I need you to call the investors and tell them that there's been an emergency and we will have to reschedule tomorro'w's meeting until the next day. Explain about our young friend taking ill and that we will have to continue on without him," he said as put an arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the door.

"Yes sir," she said as she headed out the door.

Griffin turned and looked at Olivia and Jordan. "Now, I'd like to see Kendall and if he's stable I will be taking him with me."

"He's not," Olivia said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We'll see," Griffin smirked as he turned and walked out the door.

* * *

James woke up screaming, visions of Kendall's bloodied face and unseeing eyes, still fresh in his mind. Carlos and Logan jumped up and rushed to his side.

"It's okay buddy, you need to wake up now," Carlos said softly as he squeezed his friend's hand.

"Kendall..." James sobbed.

Logan took his other hand. "James, wake up! Everyone is alright but you need to wake up."

"He's dead!" James sobbed.

"No, he's not. Now wake up and we can go see him as soon as the doctor says we can," Carlos said firmly.

James opened his eyes as the doctor cam in. "Is everything alright in here?"

"I think so. He was just having a bad dream," Logan said.

The doctor went over to James. "It's alright son. Can you tell me what your name is?"

"J-James."

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Wednesday?" James said trying to sit up.

"Take it easy for now, you've had quite a shock. I want you to stay still until you've had a chance to rest," the doctor said.

"I need to see Kendall," James insisted.

"Your friend is being well-cared for by Dr. Burns. I asked the attending nurse and he's stable."

"H-He's n-not dead?" James asked.

"No, they''ll be taking him to a room anytime now, and she said you'll be able to see him then."

James suddenly felt very tired as relief washed over him. He closed his eyes as tears threatened to fall again. _He's alive, and I'm never letting go again,_ he thought.

* * *

Griffin pushed his way into Kendall's room and looked at the nurse. "What is his condition?"

She looked past him and saw Olivia and Jordan come in, followed by another man in a suit.

Olivia quickly got between Kendall and Griffin. "He is NOT going anywhere with you."

Griffin looked at her and laughed. "I still retain emergency custody and he WILL be coming with me."

"That's what you think," a man's voice said from behind Griffin, who suddenly felt himself being yanked back. He yelped as he was pulled around and then made contact with the wall. "HOW DARE YOU!" he shrieked.

"You got that right," Antonio growled. "Now get the hell out of here before I do something I won't regret," he yelled, pushing Griffin and his attorney towards the door.

"Who do you think you are?" Griffin yelled back, pushing his attorney in front of him...just in case.

Antonio smiled. "I'm the parent who NOW has emergency custody of that boy," he said pointing to Kendall.

Olivia smiled as she picked up the phone. "Security, please come to trauma room four and have Mr. Griffin and his personnel removed from the hospital." She hung up and pointed at the door. "Get out now."

Griffin straightened his jacket and then his tie. "Fine, just know that whatever happens now, falls on your head."

Antonio's eyes flashed angrily. He grabbed the man again and pulled him close. "You had better pray to God that you're innocent of everything, and that this is all a giant series of misunderstandings because if it's not...you're going to have to run very far and very fast to get away from me!"

"You can't threaten me!" Griffin said.

"That WASN'T a threat," Antonio smiled.

For the first time in his life...Arthur Griffin was afraid.


	21. Chapter 21

Jordan stood there and watched Griffin first bluster, and then cower, under Garcia's wrath. He was relieved that the older officer had made it to the hospital when he did. Jordan was certain that Griffin was the man responsible for the boy's condition and he wasn't about to let him be taken again. His radio buzzed and he stepped out of the room to take the call. "Jordan here."

"Sergeant Jordan, the DA called and she has the warrants for both the DNA samples and laboratory records that you requested. I'm forwarding them to you now," the dispatch agent said.

"Thank you," he said as he headed out to his patrol car. A few minutes later he was heading back inside, both warrants printed up. He saw Griffin and his attorney heading his way and smiled to himself. He walked towards them and then stopped, blocking their way out.

"Is there a problem officer?" Griffin's attorney, Bill Rugter asked.

"None at all," he said, handing him the warrants.

"What is it?" Griffin asked, annoyed.

"Warrants for your DNA, which you have already graciously provided. I also have a warrant for any and all lab records pertaining to any new drugs which are being developed by the RCM CBT Globalnet Sanyoid Corporation Laboratories, as well as all employee records," Jordan smirked.

Griffin smirked back, knowing that none of the paperwork had his signature on it, only Copen's. "Fine, I'll call and make sure that they cooperate fully."

"That won't be necessary. Dr. Rubbenfeld has already been notified and is on his way to meet with the officers and technicians that have been dispatched," Jordan told him.

"Well, you seem to have it all under control then. I'm going home to get some much needed sleep," Griffin said, trying to push past him.

"We aren't finished here quite yet," Jordan said, putting his hand up.

"Wrong, we ARE finished here," Griffin said dismissively as he attempted to walk past the officer.

Jordan shook his head, not moving. "You should advise your client to cooperate," Jordan said to Rutger, handing him the warrants.

Rutger looked over the warrants and sighed. "Arthur, the warrant includes a search of your person, and your vehicle."

Griffin rolled his eyes. "I don't have a vehicle, I came in with my intern."

"Then I'll need to inspect your intern's vehicle," Jordan said.

"Fine, I'll let her know," Griffin as he tried to push past the officer again.

Jordan shook his head. "First I'll be needing your clothing and to check any other personal items you might have on you."

"This is outrageous! I will be making a call to the captain of the Beverly Hills Police Department and have your badge!"

Jordan just smiled. "I'm afraid that won't do you any good."

"Why is that!?"

"One, I am following the judge's orders which are clearly outlined in the warrants. Two, that isn't my precinct, and even if it were...I. Am. Following. The. Judge's. Orders. Now, we can go into a room where I'm sure the kind nurses here will provide you with scrubs that you can wear home, I can take you into the station, or we can do this out here in the hallway. It's all the same to me," Jordan told him.

Griffin went to say something but Rutger shook his head. "Arthur, let's just get this over with and then I'll drive you home."

"Fine, and once we are finished here I will be filing a complaint with whichever precinct you work for," Griffin said through clenched teeth.

"Please do, I'll be happy to give you the number once we're finished," Jordan smirked as he took Griffin's arm and lead him back down the hallway.

Half an hour later Jordan had bagged and labeled Griffin's clothing. A second officer had been called in to assist. Griffin sat in a chair, fuming as Jordan went through his wallet and other personal items. He smiled a little to himself, proud that he had managed to drop the vial of Ketamine into Jessica's bag as he had given her the instructions regarding the investors. He made a mental note to call and tell her to get rid of it as soon as possible.

"When was the last time you saw Kendall Knight before here at the hospital?" Jordan asked.

"He and my intern were going out to grab a bite to eat," Griffin said.

"Even though he hasn't been feeling well?"

"He's a sweet boy and I think he said yes, just to be nice. There has been a little tension between the two and Jessica said she wanted to make up to him for coming on a little too strong."

"Too strong?" Jordan asked.

Griffin nodded. "She's new to the entertainment business and like many people who meet someone famous, got a little carried away. She told me she was embarrassed and asked if I would intervene on her behalf, which I did."

"How so?"

"I explained to Kendall that she had come to me, worried that she had gone a bit too far. I had asked her how, and she said she had slipped a note with her number on it into Kendall's wallet. She also said she had kissed him on impulse the other night, after she drove him home. I admonished her and told her I would speak to Kendall."

"And?"

"And I did. He said he understood and would accept her apology. They left after the meeting and she said she would drop him off at home after they ate." Griffin told him.

"Is she the young lady who was here earlier?"

"Yes."

"Isn't she a little old to be making a pass at a seventeen year old?"

"I don't make judgments based on age," Griffin said.

Jordan just looked at him for a moment before writing something in his notebook. "I'll need her number."

"Fine," Griffin said writing it down.

"I understand that Mrs. Knight is doing some work for you. We haven't been able to get ahold of her and need to know where she is."

"She and Mrs. Diamond are doing some promotional work for their sons' upcoming album."

"Do you know her itinerary and how we can reach her?"

"My intern would have that information, I do know that they are driving. We've tried calling her, but there was no answer so we left a message asking her to call back as soon as possible."

"I'll get the itinerary from your intern when I question her. Perhaps you could tell me what happened to your nose? It looks a little discolored and swollen," Jordan said.

"I got hit in the face while playing racquetball the other day," Griffin said.

"And your finger?" Jordan asked, pointing to Griffin's hand.

"Caught it in the door," Griffin said, silently cursing that the officer was so observant. "Is that all?"

Jordan made a few notations on his pad and handed Griffin back his things. "Thank you for your cooperation, you're free to go now."

"It's about time," Griffin grumbled as he stood up.

"Free to go for now...please don't leave town without first clearing it with the DA's office," Jordan said, looking more at Rutger for confirmation, than Griffin.

"I'll make sure of it. Come on Arthur, I'll drive you home," Rutger said, taking Griffin's arm. He wanted to get Griffin out of the building so he could determine exactly how much trouble his client was really in.

They had only gone a few feet when Griffin turned at looked at Jordan. "I will be back to check on Kendall later. I think of all the boys as mine, and do not take kindly to anyone interfering with my family."

Jordan took a step towards him. "Perhaps you would like to make that statement to one of the ACTUAL family members? I'm sure I could get Officer Garcia to come out and have this discussion with you."

"Arthur, stop. You are just complicating the situation. I understand that you that you feel you're being protective and most likely in shock after seeing the condition the young man is in, but this is NOT helping," Rutger said.

Griffin gave a cold smile. "Yes...you're right, it probably is shock. After all Kendall was perfectly alright this afternoon, when I last saw him. Seeing him like this just makes me...angry."

"I understand, and we need to get you home so you can get some rest," Rutger said as he gently pulled Griffin back down the hall.

* * *

Antonio stood in stony silence as he listened to Olivia explain what had been happening with Kendall. Sam had gotten back to the room just in time to stop Antonio from putting a fist through Griffin's face. Sam had told them nothing had been found in the ambulance, and that the medics were going to make full statements about what they knew.

Antonio stared down at the boy he had known for nearly fourteen years and tried to hold down the fury that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Is he going to live?" Antonio asked quietly.

Olivia went over and stood next to him. "It's going to take some time for him to fully regain his strength, anemia can really take a toll on your system, but with the proper treatment I think he'll be just fine."

"Can he breathe on his own?"

"Yes, I intubated him as a precaution because of the Ketamine. I think he's experiencing what they call a K-hole and his respiration was dropping a bit. He was already exhausted and I didn't want him to have to fight to breathe."

"And the ra...the rest?" Antonio asked, his voice breaking.

Olivia sighed. "There's no permanent physical damage and while it makes it difficult to prove legally...it is a good thing that a condom was apparently used. We will want to check his bloodwork every three months for a year, just to be sure."

"Will there be any permanent damage from the drugs?" Antonio asked as he sat on the bed next to Kendall.

"I don't think so, but the fact is, we just won't know until we determine everything that was in the drug, how much was given, and for how long," Olivia told him.

Antonio sat quietly, staring at Kendall for a moment. "What actual evidence do we have against Griffin?"

"At the moment...only circumstantial. We can't even prove they were together," Sam said.

Antonio stood up and then leaned down and kissed Kendall on the forehead. "Te prometo, que aunque me tome el resto de mi vida, voy a vengarme de este hijo de su puta madre. Se va a arrepentir de poner sus ojos en ti." Antonio looked at Sam. "Where are the other boys?"

"I'll take you," Sam said, heading for the door.

Antonio looked at Olivia. "I know you're doing everything you can, but..."'

She smiled and patted his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere and if he starts to wake up I'll send someone to get you. We'll be running another PCV test and then moving him to a private room in the next half and hour."

Antonio nodded and followed Sam out the door. They started for the next room when Jordan called out to them. They stopped and waited for the younger officer to join them. "I asked Mr. Griffin about Mrs. Knight's whereabouts and he said that they're on the road. I'll have to get their itinerary from his intern. I'm going to call and arrange an interview with her after I drop this evidence off at the station," Jordan said, indicating the bag he was holding.

"Did he say anything at all about Kendall?" Sam asked.

"Only that he was fine when he saw him leave for the day. However, that's another thing I need to discuss with Ms. James."

"Why?" Antonio asked.

"According to Mr. Griffin, Kendall and his intern left to grab a bite to eat after the meeting. Then she was going to drop him off at home," Jordan told them.

"That doesn't make sense. Kendall hasn't been feeling well and doesn't like her... she's been making him very uncomfortable," Sam said.

"That's what Mr. Griffin said. He said she approached him, asking him to intervene because she realized she crossed the line and she wanted to apologize."

"I honestly don't think he would have gone with her," Sam said thinking back on the conversations he'd had with Logan and Camille.

"Was there anything else?" Antonio asked.

Jordan debated for a moment before speaking. "Griffin has a couple of bruises that he claims are from a game of racquetball and getting his hand caught in a door. I'm not sure it's even worth trying to verify it with the people at his club. I'm pretty sure they'll all cover for him, but I'm going to try."

"Thank you," Antonio said as he shook the other officer's hand.

"Hopefully the records from the lab will help confirm things. We already have officers there collecting evidence and our technicians will be going over the results. We're also looking for Dr. Sean Copen, who left the material here for Dr. Burns. I'm going to get this to the station and then give Ms. James a call, here's my card if you need anything," Jordan said, handing Antonio a business card.

Antonio took it and nodded. "Thank you again," he said as he and Sam continued to James' room.

* * *

Carlos, Logan, and Camille were talking quietly when Sam opened the door. He saw James was sleeping and eased the door open the rest of the way.

"Hey daddy," Camille said sadly.

He smiled as he opened the door the rest of the way and Antonio walked in. Both boys stared at him for a few seconds and then Carlos jumped up and rushed to him. "Papi! Why are you here?"

Antonio hugged his son tightly. "The doctors need a parent here so they can legally treat Kendall."

"I-I thought Griffin could do it?" Logan said quietly. Carlos' dad showing up worried him considerably.

"Griffin isn't family," Antonio said with a small smile.

"W-What's going on?" James asked groggily. The voices had awoken him and he looked around in confusion.

"Papi came!" Carlos said, still holding tightly to his dad.

James was instantly awake. "Why? Where's Kendall? Is he okay?"

"He's doing alright," Sam said softly.

"How are you feeling James?" Antonio asked.

"I-I'm okay. Have you seen Kendall?" James asked, sitting up. He went to stand but then thought better of it and Antonio helped him sit back down.

Antonio nodded and sat down next to James. "He's doing better, but there is something we need to talk about."

"What is it Papi?" Carlos asked.

"It's about Kendall and why Sam called me," Antonio said, looking over at his friend.

"He's really sick, isn't he? I knew I should have made him go to another doctor...it could be leukemia, lupus, aplastic anemia!" Logan said, beginning to panic.

"No Logan, that's not it son," Antonio said softly.

"Isn't that why you brought him in though?" Logan asked, looking at Sam.

Sam looked at Antonio who nodded. Sam went over and sat down next to Camille and Logan. He took a deep breath. "Camille and I were walking in the park and we found Kendall there, lying under a tree."

"Wait, what was he doing in the park?" James interrupted.

"A man came over and said he had seen him run out of an ally, across from the park. It looked like he had been mugged." Sam said, stopping to let the boys absorb that before he continued.

"W-What!?" James asked.

"It _looked_ like he had been mugged?" Carlos asked, not missing the way Sam had phrased it.

"Yes Mijo. Sam and Camille brought him to the hospital and then found that his wallet and phone hadn't been taken," Antonio said, putting one arm around his son's shoulders and the other around James'.

"So someone just beat him up and left him there?" Logan asked.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Sam said.

Camille couldn't hold back the tears any longer and started crying into Sam's shoulder.

"Camille..." Logan said as he fought back the major panic attack he felt starting to take hold.

"Papi?" Carlos asked looking at his dad.

"Dr. Burns, Olivia, found marks around his throat. It looks like someone may have tried to strangle him," Antonio said carefully.

"Oh my God!" Logan said, dropping his head to his hands.

"What else?" James asked quietly. He knew there had to be more even though he didn't want to hear it.

"He..um, he..." Antonio started, suddenly finding it impossible to speak.

Sam put an arm around Logan. "Boys, this isn't going to be easy for you to hear, and you need to try and stay calm. Kendall is going to need you to be strong for him. He's going to need you now, more than ever."

"W-What happened?" Logan asked

"Please don't say it, please don't say it, please don't say it," James chanted to himself.

"Olivia... Dr. Burns... found signs of sexual assault," Sam said quietly.

"Why would anyone d-do that!?" Carlos choked out.

"I don't know Mjo, but we're going to find out," Antonio promised, pulling his son close. "When was the last time anyone spoke to Kendall?"

"I-I t-talked to him at lunchtime," Carlos said as he hugged his dad.

'What did he say?" Antonio asked.

"T-That he was t-tired and g-going to try and rest b-before the meeting started again," Carlos told him, tears starting to fall.

"It's my fault," James said, his voice barely a whisper.

"J-James...no," Carlos said.

James jumped up. 'I HUNG UP ON HIM! I TOLD HIM TO LEAVE ME ALONE AND THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR FROM HIM OR OUR FRIENDSHIP WAS OVER!"

"You didn't know..." Carlos started.

"He BEGGED me to help him and I hung up!" James yelled. He felt as if the walls were closing in as he heard Kendall's pleas for his help. He ran for the door,opened it, and ran down the hallway as fast as he could.

"James!" Antonio called after him. He detached himself from Carlos and took after the teen. He saw James turn down another hallway and ran faster, trying to keep him in sight.

James made it to the outer doors and pushed them open. Tears were blinding his visions as he ran out and he didn't see the ambulance that was backing up.


	22. Chapter 22

Rutger lead Griffin to his car and opened the door. Griffin got in and immediately called Jessica but it went to voicemail. "This is Griffin, call me immediately." He hung up, irritated that she hadn't answered.

"Arthur...what did you do?" Rutger asked as he turned the key in the ignition.

"Are you accusing me of something?" Griffin asked in an amused tone.

"Arthur, I need to know so I can prepare for anything that may come up," Rutger said.

"You need to know what I TELL you that you need to know."

"There are some very serious charges that they are considering charging you with," Rutger said, trying to get through to his thick-headed client.

"Right now, all you need to do is take me home. I'm tired," Griffin said.

"What have you done?" Rutger asked again.

"I do whatever I want. Now get me home, it's been a long day and I need my rest," Griffin ordered as he closed his eyes and laid his head back against the headrest.

About twenty minutes later Rutger pulled up in front of Griffin's mansion and parked. Griffin opened an eye and went to open the door, but Rutger put a hand on his arm. "Arthur, you need to tell me what's going on. Did you have anything to do with what happened to that boy?"

Griffin looked at Rutger, an amused expression on his face. "Why would you think that?"

"Mostly because you haven't denied it."

Griffin smiled. "To deny something is to suggest that you may have done something wrong."

"Arthur..."

"One of my employees was developing a cutting edge surgical sedative and apparently thought it was alright to test that drug on his patient," Griffin said.

"And the rest?"

"As I told the police, Jessica dropped him off at the Palmwoods. Other than that, I have no idea."

"You DO know that you can tell me anything? Attorney/client privilege is in full effect."

"I'll try and remember that," Griffin smirked as he got out.

Rutger sighed and shook his head as he drove away.

Griffin opened his door and went inside. His phone rang and he looked at the caller ID. "Jessica, where are you?"

"I just got home, why?"

"First, there's something in your bag I need you to get rid of. Second, the police will be calling you regarding the fact that you and Kendall were going out for a bite to eat and that you dropped him off at the Palmwoods. They also said that they might need to check out your car. Just tell them what we went over earlier, and this whole thing will just go away," Griffin instructed.

"Not a problem daddy. Will I be seeing you soon?" Jessica asked in a flirty tone.

"Not until later. I also need you to call Anderson and have him slowly deactivate the blocks on the mothers' phones."

"Not the boys' phones?" she asked.

"Not yet. Tell him I want the mothers' phones activated by noon, then he can reactivate the others, slowly, by tomorrow night. Also, call and leave the same message that you left earlier for Mrs. Knight on both her and Mrs. Diamond's phones. Give them my personal number and tell them to call me as soon as they receive it," Griffin said.

"Consider it done. Is there anything else?"

"Not at the moment. I'll call you if I think of anything else," he said.

"Okay, try and get some sleep. I'll see you later Artie."

* * *

James heard a horn blaring and then felt himself being knocked off his feet. He laid there, looking in shock at the ambulance, which was now about five feet away. He heard someone calling to him and realized that he was being held, very tightly, by Antonio.

"Are you two alright?" one of the medics asked, rushing over to them.

"I'm fine," Antonio said. He pulled James up a little further up to him. '"James can you hear me?"

"W-What happened?" James asked, starting to shake.

"Let me check him," the medic said. He pulled out a penlight and shined it in James' eyes. "Can you tell me your name?"

James put a hand up to block the light. "Leave me alone!"

"First tell me your name," the medic said firmly.

"James! Now get the hell away from me!"

"James, you need to calm down now," Antonio said.

"Calm down! How am I supposed to calm down? It's all my fault Kendall is here! I didn't believe him, I thought he was lying to me about Jessica! I wouldn't listen to him! He begged me to help him and I told him to go away!" James sobbed.

Antonio pulled the teen close, holding him like he did when the boys were little and they had hurt themselves.

"Were either of you hit?" the medic asked Antonio.

Antonio shook his head. "No, he just received some...difficult news."

"Alright, but we need to get him out of the parking lot. He may not be so lucky next time."

Antonio nodded. "Mijo, we need to go back inside."

James shook his head. "I-I c-can't."

Antonio hugged him tightly. "I know this is hard, but you can't blame yourself. There are some other things going on that we need to discuss."

"I let him get hurt, I didn't believe him!" James sobbed.

"You didn't know. Sam and Dr. Burns have found out a few things and I think you need to hear them."

"Y-You d-don't understand," James said, his voice muffled by Antonio's shirt.

"Then tell me," Antonio said.

James shook his head.

"Mijo, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"I-I'm s-supposed to p-protect him, b-but I let this h-happen," James said.

"James, there isn't anything you could have done. You didn't know what was happening," Antonio said, trying to reassure the teen.

"It's NOT okay. I thought...I thought..." James faltered.

"You thought what?"

"I t-thought he w-was c-cheating on m-me with J-Jessica and I h-hated h-him for it," James said so quietly that Antonio had a hard time making it out.

Antonio closed his eyes against the tears that suddenly appeared. _¡Dios mío!._ _Oh no,no, no,_ he thought, pulling James closer. This kind of trauma was hard enough on friendships, much less a relationship that was just starting out in a world that was so often unaccepting.

"How long?" Antonio whispered.

"A-Almost s-six months. We started dating after J-Jo left," James said.

Antonio took a deep breath. "Mijo, we need to go in and talk about this. We don't want anyone overhearing us."

"D-Do you h-hate me?" James said, realizing what he had just told Antonio.

"Of course not! You're one of my boys and I would never judge any of you for loving someone, no matter what," Antonio promised.

"Papi...James?"

Antonio looked over and saw Carlos standing just outside the doors. He smiled softly at his son and then looked at James. "Why don't we go inside? Sam can tell you what he and Dr. Burns have found, and then we can see Kendall."

James took a deep breath. "O-Okay, I c-can do this."

Antonio smiled and stood up. He held his hand down, James took it, and Antonio pulled him up. Carlos rushed over and threw his arms around the two. He was still crying and James hugged him back.

"W-We're going to be o-okay, right?" Carlos said.

"I hope so," James said, trying not to cry again.

"We're all going to be okay," Antonio promised as he lead the boys back inside.

* * *

Griffin went into his study with Milton close behind. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't realize you were at the door."

"It's alright," Griffin said as he sat at his desk.

"Is there anything I can get for you sir?"

Griffin though for a moment. "Brandy."

"Yes sir," Milton said as he went to the side table that held various decanters of alcohol.

"Also, get Mr. Dooley on the phone for me. I have something for him to do."

Milton nodded as he handed Griffin his drink. He picked up the phone and scrolled through it until he found the number he was looking for. He dialed and after several rings, someone answered. "Mr. Griffin would like to speak with you." He handed the phone over to Griffin.

Griffin took it from him. "Send a car for Mr. Dooley and then that will be all for tonight, thank you Milton."

The butler nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. "Why are you sending a car for me at this time of night?"

"I have something for you to do," Griffin said.

"What could you possibly want me to do that couldn't wait until morning?"

"Not too much. I just need you to run a little errand for me," Griffin said.

"And your fancy butler can't do it?"

Griffin smiled. "No, this needs someone who knows the layout of the Palmwoods and has done this kind of thing before."

"What kind of thing?"

"I'll explain it all when you get here. If you manage to do a good job, you just might get that solo career you've been wanting...or be the lead in a REAL band," Griffin smirked as he hung up.

* * *

Olivia was going over Kendall's latest PCV numbers, when the rest of his lab result came in. She read them and breathed a sigh of relief. She went over to his bed and checked the monitors, everything had remained stable for the last half an hour. "Okay, let's call pediatric and get him into a room," she said to the nurse.

"Yes Dr. Burns," she said, going to phone.

"You're going to be okay," Olivia said to Kendall.

"They have a room available in the pediatric trauma wing," the nurse told Olivia.

"Perfect. If you could get him ready to go, I'm going to go let his family know that we'll be moving him," Olivia said as she headed for the door. She went to the next room and knocked before opening the door.

"Come in," Sam called out.

Olivia went in and saw Sam sitting in-between Camille and Logan, both of the teens were crying. She looked at Camille and held her arms open. Camille jumped up and rushed to her friend, throwing her arms around her.

"Shh, everything is going to be alright," Olivia said.

"H-How?" Camille sobbed.

Olivia hugged her tightly. "He's already doing much better and now that Officer Garcia is here, no one can hurt him again."

"HOW? HOW IS THIS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT?" Logan yelled. He couldn't wrap is mind around how his best friend was ever going to recover from something this horrifying. His own guilt at doubting Kendall's fidelity was starting to eat at him and he could feel himself giving into the panic and hopelessness that was enveloping him.

Sam pulled the teen close. "Logan take a deep breath and let it out slowly."

Logan shook his head.

"Do as I say," Sam ordered, afraid the boy was going to pass out from hysteria.

"I-I c-can't,'" Logan said.

Olivia went over and knelt in front of him. She put a hand on the back of his neck and gently pushed his head down. "Breathe in and out with me," she said, holding onto his hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Logan cried.

"Shhh, it's alright," Olivia soothed.

After a couple of minutes Logan was able to breathe and he sat back up. "H-How...h-how is h-he going t-to be alright?"

Olivia reached over and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Because he's young, because he's strong, and because he has all of you."

"W-What if it's n-not enough?"

"I know a couple of very good psychologists who specialize in sexual assault and they have helped a lot of people. It wlll take time and a lot of understanding, but there's no reason he can't come back from this."

"E-Even t-though..."

"Even though what?"

"E-Even though he's a boy?" Logan asked quietly.

"Oh sweetheart, I know it seems unlikely...but boys are just as vulnerable as girls. We don't hear about it as often because there is such a stigma attached to it, that most males don't report it. But with the right treatment and a strong support system, chances are he'll make a complete recovery."

"R-Really?" Logan asked.

"Really," Olivia said, hugging him.

The door opened and Antonio, Carlos, and James walked in. Antonio had an arm around each boy and they were clinging to him. He saw Olivia and she gave him a small smile and a nod. "Come on boys, let's sit down. Dr. Burns is going to tell us what's going on," Antonio said, ushering them over to the bed. He sat down with them and pulled them close.

Olivia sat next to Logan and put her arm around him. She took a deep breath and explained what had been going on, leaving out that they suspected Griffin. They didn't want to say anything that could influence their responses when the police asked them about it all boys all looked like they were going to lose it by the time she was through.

"Y-You t-think someone drugged him?" Logan asked.

Olivia nodded. "There were drugs found in his bloodwork. The lab is running tests now to determine exactly what they are. That being said...Kendall is doing much better. We've run his bloodwork a couple of times and his numbers are improving. There's no liver or kidney damage and his blood pressure has stabilized. We have done a blood transfusion and that seems to have helped. We are moving him to the pediatric trauma unit, mostly because anyone on that floor has to have a badge, so it will keep any press out. You will each be given one and will have to show it at the nurse's station before you're allowed in the ward."

"Can we see him soon?" Carlos asked.

"As soon as we have him settled in, you'll be allowed to visit. It will have to be two at a time for now, especially since it's technically after visiting hours," Olivia said.

"Is he awake?" James asked quietly.

"No. At the moment he's not awake and I need to warn you that he is intubated."

"W-What does that mean?" Carlos asked.

"It means he's breathing through a tube," Antonio said gently.

"Why?" Carlos asked.

"One of the drugs he was given was slowing his respiration, so I intubated him as a precaution. He was already very tired and I didn't want him to have to fight to breathe," Olivia told him.

"But he can breathe?" James asked.

"Yes, and I'll probably pull the tube before morning," Olivia said.

There was a knock a the door and a nurse opened it and looked in. "Dr. Burns, we're ready to move the patient."

Olivia smiled. "I'll be right there." She stood up and walked to the door. "Give me fifteen or twenty minutes and I'll send someone to bring you up. They'll bring you the ID badges you'll need, and then you can see Kendall."

"Thank you Olivia," Antonio said.

"You're welcome," she said as she headed back to Kendall's room.

A few minutes later a nurse came in with a portable ID badge maker. She verified their names and then took a photo of each, printing them up along with their names and Kendall's patient ID number. She slipped each into a plastic lanyard card holder and handed them out. "You will have to have these on you to get onto the floor, so please either clip them to your shirt or I can get you a cord to hang them from."

They all nodded and clipped them on. She lead them to the elevators and they went up to the eighth floor where she took them to a small waiting area. "Dr. Burns will be right out," she said.

"Thank you," Sam said.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Antonio asked.

Logan and Carlos both looked at James. James shook his head. "You go first," he said, suddenly feeling like he might pass out.

"James..." Carlos started.

"No, I'll go last. I need time, okay?" James asked with pleadng eyes.

Carlos hugged. "Okay."

Olivia came out. "Are you ready?"

"I think so. I know you said two at a time, but could we do one adult with two kids?" Antonio asked.

Olivia smiled. "That will be fine."

Antonio nodded and stood up. "Come on Mijos," he said holding his hands out to Carlos and Logan.

Both boys took his hands and they followed Olivia down the hallway. "Just remember that he looks worse than he really is. He bruises easily because of the anemia, but the actual injuries aren't too bad."

"Thank you Olivia," Antonio said. He put an arm around each boy as she opened the door to Kendall's room.

They walked in and both boys tightened their hold on Antonio as they saw their friend lying there, attached to tubes and wires.

"Oh Papi," Carlos as his eyes teared up again.

"It's alright," Antonio said softly. They walked over to the bed Logan started feeling shaky. Olivia saw the color drain from his face and quickly pushed a chair over to him.

Logan sat down, fighting the tears that threatened to fall again.

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked.

Logan nodded and took a deep breath. He stood back up and went over to his friend, taking in the bruises, the cervical collar, the swollen eye, and the splint. "Is the collar because they tried to strangle him?"

"Yes," Olivia said.

"Were there any breaks in the hyoid?"

"No, we put the collar on to stablize the jugular catheter," she said. "You know your anatomy."

"I w-wanted to b-be a doctor."

"Not now?" she asked

He shook his head. "I-I don't think I c-could handle this."

She put her arm around his shoulders. "That's because Kendall is your friend. When it's someone you know, someone you care about, it's always hard. That's why doctors aren't supposed to treat family members or close friends."

"I know...it's just so hard," Logan said quietly.

"I know it is," she said softly.

"He's really going to be okay?" Carlos asked as he stood next to Logan.

"I think so," she smiled.

"He doesn't look as bad he did after some of those players from that snooty prep school team ganged up on him," Carlos said.

Logan bit back a response about those players not having raped him, but realized that Carlos was trying to make him feel better. "You're right 'Los, he doesn't."

"Alright boys, why don't we give James and Camille a chance to visit before we leave," Antonio suggested.

"But I don't want to leave him," Carlos said, suddenly afraid that if he left, he might never see his friend again.

"I know you don't but James needs to see him and then you boys need some sleep," Antonio told him.

"He's right," Logan said.

"Okay," Carlos said as he reached down and took Kendall's hand. "We'll be back tomorrow buddy."

The three left and Sam and Camille visited next, James deciding to wait until after they had seen Kendall. He was sitting in silence, staring at nothing as he waited for his turn. _What am I supposed to say?_ He thought to himself. It felt like his world was shattering and he didn't know what to do.

"James, are you ready?" Antonio asked. He had tried to get the teen's attention twice before he looked up.

James nodded and stood up. He followed Antonio down the hallway to Kendall's room and paused at the doorway. "C-Can I see him alone?" James asked quietly.

"Od course. I'll be right out here if you need me," Antonio said.

James nodded and went in, closing the door behind him. He walked over to Kendall and stood there for a minute, tying to absorb what he saw. He pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down, taking Kendall's hand in his. He sat there, looking at the boy he loved, wondering how all of this had happened.

"I'm so sorry. I should have believed you, I should have listened to you. This is all just so wrong," James whispered, choking back a sob. He reached over and brushed back Kendall's bangs. "I don't know what to do, I don't know how to make this right... but I''m going to figure it out. I swear I will make this better and I will never let anyone hurt you again...especially me."

Antonio knocked before opening the door and poked his head in. "James it's time to go."

"Just another minute, please?"

"Alright Mijo," Antonio said, closing he door.

James stood up and then sat next to Kendall. He leaned down and kissed Kendall on the cheek, and then laid his head on his shoulder. Tears began to fall as he remembered everything that had been going on. "I love you so much, please forgive me! Without you, my life is meaningless. You've always been there for me, always taken care of me, and I promise that I'm going to do the same for you. I k-know I don't deserve your forgiveness, I don't blame you if you h-hate me...but please don't. You're my world, my light, my life. I don't think I can go on without you, even if it's just as friends. It would hurt, but I would understand, I just...I just need you in my life. Please fight and get better. I love you so much, Kendy," James said. He kissed Kendall on the cheek again and took a ragged breath. He couldn't bring himself to let go of the other boy's hand as sobs began to wrack his body.

Suddenly arms were around him, holding him tight. "It's alright James, he's going to get better and we will be there every step of the way," Antonio promised as he held the heartbroken teen.


	23. Chapter 23

Kendall could hear voices and knew one of them was James. He recognized the other voice, but couldn't focus enough to make out who it was. James was crying and he could feel him squeezing his hand, but he was too tired to even open his eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered James and how angry he had been earlier. _He left me there,_ Kendall thought as he sank back into the darkness.

* * *

Antonio sat with James until he calmed down. Olivia had come in once and told them it was alright to stay until James had composed himself. The teen had finally stopped crying but still couldn't stop shaking. Antonio hated to force James to leave, but they all needed rest and he didn't want the boys to be banned from visiting.

"James, we really need to go. We'll come back first thing in the morning," Antonio said.

"I-I c-can't leave him. W-What if something h-happens?"

"Nothing is going to happen. He's getting the very best medical care and he's safe here," Antonio promised.

"I'm scared," James whispered, still holding onto Kendall's hand.

"I know you are, but he's going to need you to be there for him. He's going to need you to be strong and you can''t do that if you're exhausted."

"What if h-he doesn't want me?" James whispered.

"Mijo, one thing I know about Kendall is that he loves with his whole heart. Whether it's his mom, Katie, or you boys, he would never let any of you go without a fight."

"A-Are y-you sure?" James asked.

"Look at what he's done so far, just because he loved you. He came all the way out here, giving up hockey and a chance at a scholarship, because he loved you that much. This was before the two of you started dating, right?" Antonio asked.

James nodded.

"I have faith that the two of you will work this out, but it IS going to take time. What you need to decide is if you can do this, because it is not going to be easy. It's going to be the hardest thing that any of you have ever had to face, and it's probably going to be very public."

"How are we going to do this?" James asked, as a feeling of hopelessness came over him.

"That's what YOU need to decide. Can you do this and if so, in what capacity?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think you can face this as a couple, or only as friends?" Antonio asked.

"I love him as a friend...but so much more than that too," James said.

"Then you are going to have to face how he feels about everything in a different way than you would as a friend, and that's not going to be easy."

"I k-know. I s-screwed up so badly," James said, choking back another sob.

"You made a mistake based on what you were told by Griffin. After everyone has had a chance to rest, we'll go over everything that we know so far," Antonio said.

"He sounded so...scared and I hung up on him. How can I ask him to forgive me for that?" James asked quietly.

Antonio put his arm around James' shoulders. "You tell him what's in your heart...what you told him earlier, only when he's awake. Now we really need to go or they may not let us come back," Antonio said.

James nodded. He too a deep breath, reached down, and kissed Kendall on the cheek. "I'll be back in the morning and then I'm not leaving you again. I'll stay in the lobby downstairs if I have to. I love you Kendy."

James stood up and let Antonio lead him back to where the others were waiting. "Alright boys, let's get you home," Antonio said.

"Papi, can't we stay out here?" Carlos asked.

"I'm afraid not, Mijo. We'll come back in the morning and hopefully Kendall will be awake and doing a little better," Antonio said, putting his arm around Carlos' shoulders.

"What if he's not?" Logan asked as the walked to the elevators.

"Don't say that, don't EVER say that!" James snapped.

"I m-meant awake," Logan said quietly.

"I-I'm sorry Loges. I j-just..." James said, looking down.

"I know, it's okay," Logan said, patting James on the shoulder.

The elevator opened and they all went inside. Sam pushed the button for the first level and gave Camille a reassuring smile. She looked at him sadly as she hugged Logan. The doors opened and they all walked to Sam's car and got in. The ride back to the Palmwoods was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Sam pulled into his parking space and turned off the car. He looked over at Antonio, who nodded.

"Okay, everyone needs to go straight to the elevator and upstairs. The lobby is probably empty, but if it's not, don't talk to anyone. We need to try and keep this as quiet as we can for as long as possible."

"What about Jett?" Camille asked as they got out.

"What do you mean, what about Jett?" Logan asked as he grabbed one of Antonio's bags.

"He was in the park and helped us get Kendall into the car. I think it'll be fine, he thinks it was just a mugging," Sam said as they walked towards the lobby.

"Great," James said, shaking his head.

"It's okay, Jett's been nicer ever since Jo moved away," Carlos said.

"Boys, shh," Antonio cautioned as they went inside. There was no one in the lobby and they quickly made their way to the elevators. The doors opened and they walked down to 2J and James unlocked the door and went in.

"We're going to try and get some sleep," Sam said to Antonio.

Antonio nodded. "Thanks for everything Sam."

"Call if you need anything," Sam said, shaking his hand.

"Get some sleep," Antonio said as he held the door for Sam and Camille.

"You too," Sam said as he and Camille headed down the hallway for their apartment.

Antonio locked the door and saw the boys all sitting in the living room. "We should all probably get some sleep."

"I don't think I can sleep," Carlos said.

Antonio went over and sat down next to him. "I know this is hard, but we all need to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and we need to be ready."

"Ready for what?" Carlos asked.

"Paparazzi," James said quietly.

"There's a chance they won't find out," Logan said, trying to reassure his friends and himself.

"There is ALWAYS paparazzi staking out hospitals, rehab clinics, and police stations. I'm surprised they haven't already shown up," James said bitterly. He loved singing, performing, everything about being famous...everything except the paparazzi. They were cruel, relentless, and knew how to twist things so that they got their sensationalized stories.

"We're not going to worry about that now, we'll figure out what to say. If they do find out, maybe Gustavo can hold a press conference and convince them it was just a random mugging," Antonio said.

"Oh my God, we haven't told Gustavo! What are we going to do, what are we going to say!? He's going to kill us for not calling him!" Logan said in a panic.

"Logan, take a deep breath. I'll call him in the morning and explain everything. There's no point in waking him up in the middle of the night, there's nothing he can do anyway," Antonio said.

"Papi is right Loges, everything will be okay," Carlos said, patting his friend on the back.

"I-I'm sorry, I j-just...I'm so scared," Logan admitted as he choked back a sob.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about. Being scared is normal. So is being angry, confused, and sad. We WILL find who did this and they will be going to prison for a very long time," Antonio promised.

"What if they don't find them? It could be anyone around here, what if they target someone else? Kendall may be sick, but he's still pretty strong and one of the girls here would have no chance!" Logan said as the situation overwhelmed him.

"Logan, you need to calm down..." Antonio started.

Logan jumped up. "HOW CAN I CALM DOWN? MY BEST FRIEND IS IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER SOME FREAK ATTACKED HIM! WHAT IF HE DOESN'T WAKE UP, WHAT IF HE DOESN'T GET BETTER!?"

James stood up, grabbed Logan by the shoulders, and shook him. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY THAT! He's going to wake up, he's gong to be okay, and eveything is going to go back to normal!"

Logan pushed James away. "You don't know that and maybe if you had actually TALKED to him in the first place, this never would have happened!"

James pulled back his hand and made a fist, but before he could throw the punch, Antonio grabbed his arm and yanked him back. Carlos jumped up and grabbed Logan, pulling him back and holding him tightly.

Antonio got in-between the James and Logan. "STOP IT NOW!"

James was shaking and glaring at Logan through tear-filled eyes. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't know that this is ALL my fault? If I could take it all back I would. If I could trade places with him I would. I would give everything I have to be able to do that," James said, as he felt his knees start to give way.

Antonio pulled him over to the couch and pushed him down onto it. "This is NOT helping anyone. Logan...sit," Antonio said pointing to the other side of the couch. "There are some things we need to discuss. I wanted to wait until morning, after everyone had had a chance to rest, but there are some things you need to know now."

Carlos pulled Logan to the other side of the couch and sat down between him and Antonio. "What is it Papi?"

Antonio thought about how much he wanted to tell the boys for a moment. "First of all, no one but the man who did this is to blame. Not Kendall, not James, and not you, Logan. I know you're feeling guilty about something, but lashing out isn't the way to deal with this. There is NOTHING any of you could have done."

"B-But I..." James said quietly.

"No son, no one is to blame except the person who did this," Antonio said, putting his arm around James' shoulders.

"Are there any leads?" Carlos asked.

"Yes...but I can't tell you right now. I can tell you that they don't think the attack happened here, so we don't believe that anyone else is in danger."

"I t-thought they found Kendall in the park," Logan said quietly.

"They did, but there is evidence that he was dumped near the park, after the attack," Antonio told them.

"W-Where did it happen then?" Logan asked quietly.

"We're not sure, but we think that the doctor who diagnosed the anemia may know something. They have an APB out on him and hopefully he'll be able to clear some of this up."

"Why would the doctor know anything?" Carlos asked.

"He dropped some papers off at the hospital that told the doctors that someone has been giving Kendall drugs and the labwork showing what they are."

"WHO?" James asked, his face flushed.

"We're not sure who was giving the orders, but the lab that is responsible for making the drug is being investigated now. The police and medical technicians are going over everything," Antonio said carefully.

"Why would someone do that?" Carlos asked, remembering how sick his younger friend had been.

"We're not sure, Mijo. The police will let us know once they find something, until then we have to be patient. The police are going to want to speak to all of you about when Kendall first started feeling sick, and what's been going on since then."

"What does this have to do with Kendall being attacked?" James asked.

"We think they may be linked somehow," Antonio said.

"Who do they think did it?" Carlos asked. He knew his dad wasn't telling them everything and that whatever it was, had to be bad.

Antonio smiled sadly at his son. "I can't tell you that yet, Mijo. I know this is hard, but you all have to be patient and trust that the authorities will find this person. Until then, we need to concentrate on helping Kendall, and each other, through this. That means not fighting OR placing blame," Antonio said pointedly, looking first at Logan and then at James.

Logan hung his head, his cheeks turning red. "I-I'm sorry James. I didn't mean w-what I said. I'm just so..."

James sighed and looked at his stricken friend. "It's okay Loges. I know you weren't really blaming m-me, even though I should have been there. It's just with everything that's been going on with J-Jessica and w-work... I don't know why I didn't believe him. He's never l-lied to me b-but..." James said as tears started to fall again.

"But what?" Antonio asked, pulling the teen closer.

"It's j-just that I know I don't deserve him. He c-could do so m-much better than me and I'm scared he'll realize it. It w-was easier b-believing that he l-liked her s-so..."

"So you thought you could push him away and not get hurt?" Logan asked quietly.

James nodded.

"James, Kendall loves you more than anything. He told me that the other night and that was after everything that happened," Carlos said.

"R-Really?" James asked, his voice breaking.

"Really," Carlos promised,

"Alright, I think we all need to get some sleep now. We can talk more about this tomorrow, before we go to the hospital," Antonio said standing up.

"Do you think he'll be awake?" Logan asked, standing up.

Antonio nodded. "I think so. Dr. Burns said she'll call me as soon as he's fully awake. Sam said she's one of the best doctors out there and she really cares, which helps."

The boys headed for the stairs, but Carlos hesitated. "What's wrong?" Logan asked.

"I...I don't think I can sleep in t-the room."

"I will. It's my r-room anyway," James said, pushing past him.

"No, why don't we all just sleep in our room. We can all sleep in sleeping bags on the floor," Logan said, taking James' arm.

James nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Thanks Loges."

"No problem. Why don't you jump in the shower while I get the sleeping bags," Logan said.

James nodded and he and Carlos went upstairs while Logan went back into the living room. He went to the coat closet, opened it, and pulled out the sleeping bags. He looked over at Antonio and bit his lip. "H-How did you know I feel guilty?"

"It's my job to know things," Antonio said.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Papi..."

Antonio smiled softly at the use of the familiar term. The boys usually called him Papa Garcia, but when they needed comforting, they often called him Papi. "I've known you for nearly half your life. Do you really think I can't tell when something's wrong? Now tell me what's going on."

Logan sighed and looked down. "I-I should have made Kendall go to another doctor, but I was so relieved when Griffin said it was anemia due to exhaustion, I just let it go."

Antonio patted Logan on the shoulder. "Mijo, you couldn't have known what was going on."

"I know...but that doesn't make me feel any better."

"I know it doesn't, that's because you care so much. It's one of the things we love about you. Believe me when I say that there is no way that anyone could have known," Antonio told him.

"I guess..."

"Is that everything?" Antonio asked.

Logan shook his head. "I feel guilty because I thought the same thing James thought. I thought Kendall was cheating on him with Jessica. I was so angry at him because James was so heartbroken. Even when Carlos and Camille pointed out she could be playing him to get closer to James, or that it might be some scheme of Griffin's...I just thought the worst. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Antonio said.

"How did you know about James and Kendall, and why were Dr. Burns and Mr. Roberts so upset when Griffin was taking Kendall to a private hospital? Wouldn't it be easier to keep the paparazzi away?"

"James told me after I caught up with him at the hospital. He said that he and Kendall started dating after Jo pulled what she did. As for Griffin...Kendall wasn't stable and he wasn't listening to Olivia when she explained that to him. He really had no legal right to take Kendall while he was under another hospital's care. Right after they had left, Kendall's blood pressure started dropping, so the medics turned around and went back to Cedar-Sinai," Antonio explained, trying to remain vague while still answering Logan's question.

"This is all so wrong. None of it make any sense," Logan said as he started towards the stairs.

"I know, try and get some sleep Logan."

"Goodnight Papi."

"Goodnight Mijo," Antonio said as headed for the downstairs bathroom.

* * *

Olivia sat in the chair next to Kendall's bed. His numbers had remained stable and she had pulled the breathing tube just a little while ago. He had woken when she was removing it, but fell back to sleep a moment later. She had also removed the line to the jugular catheter, but left the catheter itself. She wanted it there in case another crisis arose. It was securely taped and wrapped, so she had removed the cervical collar as well. She was hoping to avoid another panicked episode when the teen realized he couldn't move his head.

She was finishing writing up her notes when Dr. Finer knocked on the door and opened it. "Hey, how's he doing?"

"Better, his numbers have improved and his blood pressure seems to have stabilized. Tell me you have good news," Olivia said.

Finer nodded and handed her a folder. "We managed to isolate the other components and they are all short-acting. The Vitamin K has helped to stabilize the red blood cells, although it's going to be awhile before he's a hundred percent again."

Olivia looked over the papers. "So what do you recommend for pain? The nerve block will be wearing off soon and I want to avoid having to do another epidural, if at all possible."

"I think morphine will be our best bet, it's the least likely to interact with the coumadin components. Then either codeine or tramadol to send home. We should do another blood panel in about four days to make sure that the drugs have cleared his system."

"Thank you Ben," Olivia said, stifling a yawn.

"Maybe you should get some sleep too," he suggested.

"I'll nap here. I don't want him to wake up alone."

"Alright, do you need anything before I leave?" he asked.

"Nurse Hayes brought me some tea and a sandwich, so I'm all set. Thanks though." She smiled.

Dr. Finer smiled back. "Call me if you need me."

"I will, thanks again Ben."

"You're welcome, goodnight," he said as he closed the door behind him.

Olivia stood up and stretched. She walked over, checked the monitors, and then went to the closet and grabbed two blankets. She covered Kendall with one and then curled up in the chair next to him. About ten minutes later she drifted off to sleep, listening to the steady sounds of the monitors.


	24. Chapter 24

Kendall heard an annoying beep-beep sound and groaned. "Someone turn off the alarm," he mumbled as he shifted in bed. He yelped as a sharp pain shot through his right leg.

It woke Olivia and she jumped up. "Kendall, are you alright?"

Kendall opened his eyes and looked at her in confusion. "W-Who are you?"

Olivia smiled. "My name is Dr. Olivia Burns, I'm a friend of Camille and Sam's. They brought you into the hospital last night."

"H-Hospital, why?" Kendall asked.

"They found you in the park near your home. It looked like you had been mugged," Olivia said, trying to remain vague.

"Is that why everything hurts so much?" Kendall asked

"Can you tell me what hurts?" Olivia asked as she checked the monitors.

"M-My leg, my back, my head," Kendall told her as he noticed the cast on his arm. "I-Is my arm broken?"

"Yes, it's not displaced though and should heal quickly," she said reassuringly.

"W-Why can't I remember? Are the guys okay? Where are they, has anybody seen them?" he asked as he started shaking.

"Sweetie, you need to calm down. Your friends were all here last night, but they couldn't stay because this is the pediatric ward. Sam took them home so they could get some rest and I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"NO! He's going to hurt them, you can't let him hurt them!" Kendall yelled, fighting to sit up as a man's threats echoed in his mind and full panic took hold.

"Kendall you need to stay still. No one is going to hurt your friends, I promise," Olivia said as she tried to push him back down.

"NO! Leave me alone!" Kendall screamed as he pushed himself up.

Nurses came running in and helped Olivia restrain him. ".15 ml of morphine, please," Olivia ordered.

One of the nurses got the bottle and held it up for her to see. Olivia nodded and the nurse pulled up the medication and injected it into the IV port.

"NO! Please, no more!" Kendall cried.

"Kendall, it's going to be alright," Olivia promised,

"NO! Don't let him hurt Carlos! Please...don't let him hurt Carlos," Kendall begged, as he grew too weak to struggle.

"Honey, it's alright. You're safe and no one is going to hurt anyone," Olivia promised as she held his arm still.

"I want my mom," Kendall sobbed as the medication took hold. He felt himself drifting off, closed his eyes, and everyone relaxed their hold.

"I know you do baby, we're trying to find her," Olivia said quietly, as she pulled the blankets up around him. She sat next to him as he cried quietly. She hummed softly and gently stroked his hair until he fell back to sleep.

Griffin was finishing his third brandy when his cell rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered. "Well?"

"I don't know why you wanted that stuff planted, but it's done," WayneWayne said.

"Did anyone see you?"

"No one saw me," WayneWayne said.

"You wore gloves?"

"Yes I wore gloves," WayneWayne said, rolling his eyes.

"The entire time?"

"YES the entire time, I know what I'm doing! Now when do I get my own recording contract?" WayneWayne asked.

"As soon as we find a replacement for you on the Ziggle Zaggles. Come by the office on Monday and we'll work out the details," Griffin said.

"You better be on the up and up with me Griffin," WayneWayne growled. He didn't know what the older man was up to and didn't really care. If it involved getting Big Time Rush into trouble...that was just a bonus. He was tired of them and of being a laughing stock in this town, he wanted people to see his real talent.

"Don't you worry about that, you'll get everything I promised you and more," Griffin said, hanging up. He finished his drink and then headed up to his room to get some sleep.

Between nightmares and the intense feelings of guilt, James had tossed and turned for the remainder of the night. He finally gave up trying to sleep and got up carefully, so he wouldn't' disturb his sleeping friends. He grabbed his phone and some clean clothes and headed down the hallway to the bathroom. He closed the door and set his clothes on the shelf above the toilet and then sat down.

He dialed his mom's number and took a ragged breath when it went to voicemail. "H-Hey mom, c-could you please call me? I r-really need to talk to you, s-something's happened and I need you," James said, his voice breaking. "P-Please mom, I really need you now. I love you." James ended the call and set the phone on the counter.

He took another deep breath, turned on the water, and undressed. He stepped under the stream of warm water and let it flow over him. He quickly washed his hair, not bothering with his normal routine of wash, rinse, repeat, and condition it for ten minutes. He got out, towel dried his hair, and then dried off. He pulled on his clean clothes and went to brush his teeth.

He went to open the medicine cabinet and wiped his hand across the steam on the mirror, staring at his reflection for a minute. His eyes teared up as he thought of his last conversation with Kendall and a flash of self-loathing went through him. "YOU IDIOT! WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN TO HIM? WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE HIM?! he screamed at himself. He pulled back his fist and slammed it into the mirror, watching the glass shatter and fall. He stood there, looking down at the broken pieces, seeing only parts of his reflection in the shattered fragments. His tears fell, mingling with the blood that was flowing from the cuts on his fingers. He could hear someone knocking on the door and calling out to him, but ignored them as he slowly sank to the floor, hugging his sides. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" he sobbed, rocking back and forth.

"James, are you okay?" Carlos called through the door. He had heard James get up and was nearly asleep again when he heard James yelling. He listened for a minute and could hear James crying. "James, please open the door," Carlos begged.

Not getting an answer, he took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself to break down the door. He had just taken a step back when he realized something and tried the doorknob, which turned. He rolled his eyes as he opened the door.

"James...oh my God!" he yelled, seeing the broken glass and the blood on his friend. He grabbed a handtowel from the track and tried to wrap it around James' bleeding hand.

"No," James said, trying to pull his hand away.

"LOGAN!" Carlos yelled as he firmly held onto James' hand.

"Los...please," James said.

Carlos reached over and brushed his friend's hair back from his eyes. "James, it's going to be okay buddy."

"No..." James said. He was shaking and couldn't stop crying.

"LOGAN!" Carlos yelled again. He sat next to James and pulled him close. "Yes it will be. We're all going to be okay."

Logan came running down the hallway, still half asleep. "WHAT? What happened?"

"James cut his hand," Carlos said calmly.

"How?" Logan asked, as he tried to shake off the drowsiness that was clouding his mind.

Carlos gave a small nod towards the sink. "Mirror."

Logan grabbed the first-aid kit from under the sink and knelt down next to his friends. "Okay, let me see."

Carlos carefully unwrapped James' hand. The taller brunet was resting his head on Carlos' shoulder, not saying anything, tears still flowing down his cheeks.

"Hold the towel under his hand," Logan instructed as he grabbed a small bottle of saline. He opened it and rinsed off James' fingers, wincing at all the small cuts.

"Is he okay?" Carlos asked quietly.

"I think so, it doesn't look like any of the cuts are too deep," he said as he grabbed the tweezers. He gently pulled out a small shard of glass from James middle knuckle.

"Boys...what's going on?" Antonio asked from the doorway.

"James cut his hand." Logan said as he used a cotton swab to apply antibiotic ointment to the wounds.

"Do you need any help?"

"If you could hold the gauze so it doesn't unravel while I tape it, that would help," Logan said as he wound the soft bandage material around James' fingers.

Antonio knelt next to Logan and took James' hand in his. He took note of the shattered mirror and took a deep breath to keep down the anger that was threatening to rise. Whoever did this is going to pay, and pay dearly, he vowed as reached over and squeezed James' shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," James whispered.

"Mijo, you have nothing to be sorry for," Antonio said.

"It's my fault. If I had listened, if I had tried..." James said as he choked back another sob.

"James, the only person to blame is the one who did this. You couldn't have known what would happen," Antonio told him.

"He asked me to help him. He said someone hurt him and I just hung up on him!"

"James, we won't know everything until Kendall can tell us what happened, but I do know that whoever did this...is going to be VERY sorry that they touched one of my boys," Antonio promised.

"W-What if we don't find them?" James asked.

"We will, the police already have a few leads and they think the doctor that was working for Griffin knows something. They have an APB out for him and with any luck, they'll have him soon."

"Didn't you say he gave the hospital something to help Kendall?" Logan asked.

"He left some records telling Olivia what Kendall had been given, but that's all. We don't know WHO gave it to him, or for how long."

"But he works for Griffin so doesn't he know what was going on?" Carlos asked.

"Griffin say that he gave this doctor permission to develop a new surgical anesthetic, but nothing more. The police are speaking to the lab personnel and going over their records very closely. There's a question as to WHY Griffin chose to allow someone with a history of substance abuse to work with narcotics. He claims it was because this doctor is a good man and he thought he deserved a second chance," Antonio said choosing his words carefully.

"Knowing Griffin, it was because he thought he could make a huge profit from it," Logan said as he packed the bandage materials back into the first-aid kit.

"Probably. Since we're all up, why don't I go fix some breakfast and then we'll head over to the hospital," Antonio suggested.

"I'm not hungry," James said.

"I know you're not, but you all need to keep your strength up. Now, I'm going down and see what I can come up with, and then give Gustavo a call," Antonio said, standing up.

"He's going to freak out so bad!" Logan said.

"I know, but we'll be there for him as well," Antonio said.

"And Kelly," Carlos said quietly.

Antonio smiled softly. "We will all be there for each other. Family sticks together and that includes the both of them."

"Logan's right, Gustavo isn't going to handle this very well," Carlos said, shaking his head.

"No father would," Antonio said. He knew that as much as Gustavo blustered and often bullied to get things done, that he loved these boys as much as any parent. It was going to cut deep knowing that one of them had been hurt like this. As for Kelly...she was the big sister and voice of reason that these boys so often needed. She was going to be heartbroken and Antonio knew that if the bastard who did this came within an arm's reach of her...she would extract a pound of flesh for every mark on Kendall, and for every tear these boys would cry.

Half an hour later the boys were dressed and just picking at their breakfast. Even Carlos found that he had no appetite. The phone rang and Logan answered, "Hello."

"Hi Logan, how are you guys doing?" Camille asked.

He looked at his two friends and who were watching him expectantly. They were wondering why they hadn't heard from either Jennifer or Brooke. He shook his head, "It's Camille. Hey Camille, we're just finishing breakfast and after Papa Garcia calls Gustavo, we're going to head over to the hospital."

"Do you need a ride?"

"No thanks, we can take our car," Logan said.

"Okay, we'll meet you there in a little while then."

"Okay, see you soon," Logan aid and hung up.

"My mom hasn't returned ANY of my calls," James said quietly.

"I know, Griffin is supposed to be giving the police their itinerary so we can track them down," Antonio said reassuringly.

"This is so messed up," Logan said as he started to clear the table.

"I know it is, but we'll get it all figured out," Antonio said as he picked up his phone and scrolled thorough his list of contacts. He found Gustavo's number and hit dial.

"Who is this and why are you calling me so early," Gustavo asked in a surly tone.

"This is Antonio Garcia, Carlos' dad. I'm sorry to wake you, but something's happened..." Antonio started.

"WHAT DID THEY DO NOW? I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN THEM A WEEK OFF WITHOUT SUPERVISION! WHAT DID DAMAGE DID THEY CAUSE AND WHAT JAIL ARE THEY IN?" Gustavo yelled.

Antonio held the phone away from his ear as he waited for Gustavo to take a breath. "GUSTAVO WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT-UP FOR A MINUTE, SO I CAN TELL YOU?" Antonio yelled over the other man.

Gustavo stopped yelling. "What happened?" he asked quietly, now fully awake.

Antonio took a deep breath and continued. "Kendall is in the hospital. Family friends found him in the park last night...it looked like he had been mugged. They took him to Cedars-Sinai and called me because the boys haven't been able to get ahold of Jennifer or Brooke. Apparently they're doing some promotional work for Griffin and we're waiting to get the itinerary so we can find them."

The line was silent for a moment. "I'll be there in half an hour," Gustavo said, his voice suddenly calm and focused.

"He's in the pediatric ward so they can keep the press away," Antonio told him.

"I'll see you there," Gustavo said and hung up.

"What did he say?" Carlos asked.

"He's going to meet us there, so why don't we get going. They won't let him in without someone to vouch for him," Antonio said as he grabbed his jacket.

"Why didn't you didn't tell him what happened," James asked quietly.

"I'll explain everything to him face-to-face. This isn't something anyone wants to hear over the phone," Antonio said as he ushered the three boys out the door.

They took the elevator down and made their way through the lobby.

"Hey, how's Kendall doing?" Jett asked, spotting the group.

"What do you care?" James spat, suddenly angry.

Jett held his hands up, shocked by the intense hostility. "I was just asking, he looked pretty bad last night."

"James, don't," Logan hissed.

Carlos got in-between Jett and James. "He's still in the hospital, but the doctor said he should be fine."

"Good...well, bye," Jett said as he started across the lobby.

"Jett! Thanks for your help last night," Logan called out.

"No problem," Jett said as he got into the elevator.

"That was rude," Carlos said to James.

"It's not like he cares anyway," James said as he walked out the door.

Logan grabbed his arm. "Mr. Roberts said if that it hadn't been for Jett helping them, he would have had to call an ambulance. If that had happened, we wouldn't be able to get through the hoards of paparazzi and people might already know what happened."

"Boys...stop talking," Antonio ordered as they made their way to the Palmwoods resident parking lot.

Carlos stopped at their assigned spot and looked at his dad. "The car's not here."

"Are you sure you boys parked in the right spot?" Antonio asked as he looked for the classic convertible.

"We didn't have the car yesterday," Carlos told him.

"Who had it?" Antonio asked.

"Kendall...Kendall drove because he didn't want to ride with Jessica," Carlos said.

Antonio pulled out his cell and punched in Sam's number, not waiting for a greeting as his friend answered. "We've got another problem."

"What?" Sam asked.

"This may not be what we thought, we're going to need a ride," Antonio said.

"We're on our way down," Sam said.


	25. Chapter 25

_The boys had just finished an encore and Kendall smiled at the fans. Teenage girls were holding up signs that said "I LOVE BTR!" and others asking one, or more, of the boys to marry them._

_"This has been a great show and you are the best!" Carlos yelled above the din._

_"We love you all!" Logan said, grinning._

_"Rushers are the best fans in the world!" James waved at the crowd._

_"We'll see you all next time!" Kendall yelled, smiling. The boys all bowed and then headed off-stage, Kendall bringing up the rear. He watched his friends laughing and talking about what a great show it had been. Even Gustavo was smiling and saying they had done an "adequate" job, to which Kelly reacted with a smack up alongside his head._

Kendall smiled a little in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around in confusion, not recognizing where he was. He tried to say something, but his throat was dry and hurt.

"W-Where am I?" he managed to croak out.

Olivia looked up over and smiled softly. "Hey, are you actually awake?"

"I think so," Kendall said, still trying to figure out what was going on. He tried to clear his throat and started coughing.

"Does your throat hurt?" she asked.

Kendall nodded and she grabbed a glass and poured some water into it from the pitcher that was on the side table.

"Drink this, but take small sips," she said, as she put a straw in it and held it for him.

He took a sip and then another. "Thank you. Where am I?"

Olivia set the cup down and checked the monitors. "You're at Cedars-Sinai. My name is Dr. Olivia Burns, I'm a friend of the Roberts. They brought you in last night," she told him.

Kendall tried to remember what had happened, but his mind was still foggy. "Because I was sick?"

"What do you remember?" Olivia asked, avoiding his question.

"Um...I think I went to work," Kendall said, trying to think back.

"You think?"

He shook his head, trying to clear it. "I w-went to work, but I didn't feel well. I t-think I fell asleep during lunch," Kendall said. He lay back and closed his eyes, trying to fight the nausea that was building.

"Are you alright?" she asked, watching his face grow pale.

"I-I don't feel very well," he said.

"Just lie still for a moment. Breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth, " she said, as she opened the flow to the IV.

After a minute Kendall opened his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" she asked.

I d-don't know what's wrong with me. I k-keep feeling strange."

She sat next to him and took his hand. "Strange... how?"

"I d-don't know. Headaches, nosebleeds, and I'm so tired all the time," he said.

"Well, you are pretty anemic and that could cause those things. Anything else?"

"Dreams...I keep having these weird dreams," he said wearily.

"What kind of dreams?"

He shook his head. "I-I don't remember them. It just feels like something bad is happening all the time," he said, trying to explain it.

"It's alright, don't worry about it right now. You'll be able to concentrate more, once you're feeling better." She smiled.

He reached up and tugged at the bandage around his throat. "What's this?"

She pulled his hand down. "It's a catheter. We had to put one in there, because we needed to give you a blood transfusion and your anemia made it hard to find a vein. We're going to run another blood panel this morning, and if your numbers are better, we'll take it out," she explained.

"Is that why my throat hurts?"

"Partly, we also had to intubate you because you were having trouble breathing. We pulled it once you were breathing easier," she said. "Does anything else hurt?"

He thought for a second as he looked at his broken arm and flexed his fingers. "Not really. I feel kinda...floaty."

"Good, that means the pain medication is working."

"What did I do to my arm?" he asked.

"We're not sure honey, it's not a bad break and should heal in no time."

"I d-don't understand any of this," he said.

"I don't want you to worry about any of that right now. You need to rest so that you can start healing," she said.

"I-Is anyone here for me?" he asked quietly.

She brushed back his bangs. "Your friends, Sam, and Camille were here last night and I sent them home to rest. They should be here any time now, but I'll call and let them know that you're awake."

Something still didn't feel right and he could tell she wasn't telling him everything, but he was too tired to focus. "Is my mom coming?"

"We're trying to get ahold of her. It could be that she doesn't have any cell reception, so they were going to find out where she's staying so they can call her," Olivia told him.

He sighed. "That doesn't m-make sense. She would call from the hotel, she always checks in."

"I'm sure we'll hear from her soon. If you need anything, push the button and the nurse will come. I'm going to go check on another patient and then I'll be back," Olivia said, as she put the call button next to his good hand.

"Mmm, 'kay," he said as he closed his eyes.

Sam and Camille met Antonio and the boys in the parking lot. "What's going on?" Sam asked.

"Let's talk in the car," Antonio said.

Sam nodded, hit the button on his key fob, and the doors unlocked. Camille got in the front and sat between Sam and Antonio, and the three boys got into the back. Sam turned and looked at Antonio. "What happened?"

"Kendall drove the boys' car to work yesterday, and it's missing," Antonio told him.

"That doesn't make sense. What are you thinking?" Sam asked, as he turned on the car and pulled out.

"I'm not sure," Antonio said, shaking his head. "It just doesn't fit in with what we were thinking."

"Could it have been a carjacking?" Logan asked.

"Maybe...but this kind of assault isn't typical for a carjacking," Sam said.

"Can we not talk about that, please?" James said, his voice breaking.

Carlos put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "It's going to be okay, buddy."

"Sure," James whispered as he stared out the window. He had an overwhelming sense of loss, and he didn't understand why. Kendall was alive and would recover...but would he really? Would he want anything to do with him at all? He wouldn't blame Kendall for hating him, he let something unspeakable happen, and then yelled at him for bothering him. He squeezed his eyes shut to hold back more tears and swallowed a sob.

Carlos pulled him closer. "We have to stay strong and stick together. Kendall's going to need that and it's what he would do for us."

James took a deep breath and nodded. "I know."

Sam pulled into the parking lot and saw a couple of people hanging around the front, holding cameras. "Paparazzi," he said.

"Let's go through the parking garage," Antonio suggested.

Sam nodded and drove through to the other end of the lot and around the main building. "Boys, duck down, just in case." His windows were slightly tinted, but he didn't want to take any chances.

Logan and Carlos were able to scoot down enough, but James had to lean over until his head was nearly in Carlos' lap.

Sam drove up level by level, until they found one where no one was near the elevator. He parked and they all jumped out and quickly made their way to the elevators. Antonio pressed the button and a moment later the doors opened. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they found it was empty.

"Do you think the paparazzi knows anything?" Logan asked, pressing the floor key.

"Probably not any details, they could just be sniffing around, hoping to find a story," Sam said.

"I hope so," Logan said.

The elevator went to the floor without stopping and the group got out and made their way to the nurses station. Antonio held out his ID badge. "We're here to see Kendall Knight."

The nurse checked their badges and then pulled up Kendall's information on the computer. "He's in stable condition and scheduled for bloodwork in the next hour. Please limit yourself to two visitors at a time and if he's sleeping, please don't wake him."

'We won't, thank you," Antonio said. They walked down to the family waiting area and Antonio's cell rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered. "Hi Gustavo. We're in the pediatric intensive care ward, on the eight floor. I'll meet you at the nurse's station."

"What did he say?" Carlos asked.

"He's on his way up with Kelly and a bodyguard...just in case," Antonio said.

"Freight Train," all three boys said at once.

"I'm going to go help get them set-up with ID badges, why don't you boys decide who wants to go first," Antonio suggested.

Carlos and Logan both looked at James. He shook his head. "You guys go first, I think I want to run to the gift shop and get something for him."

"I'll come with you," Camille said, as she took his arm.

"Mijo, maybe you should wait for one of us to go with you,' Antonio said. He didn't want any of the boys to be cornered by the paparazzi.

"I'll go, if Logan and Carlos are okay on their own?" Sam asked the two.

"We're fine, but I think we'll wait for one of you before we go in," Logan said. Carlos nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then," Sam said and he followed James and Camille back down the hallway, Antonio was right behind them.

"Hey, I was just about to call you," Olivia said as Antonio reached the desk.

Antonio smiled. "Did you sleep here?" he asked, noticing she was wearing the same clothes as the night before.

She nodded. "I camped out with Kendall. He slept through the night and woke up about twenty minutes ago."

"Thank God, does he remember anything?" Antonio asked.

She shook her head. "No, and I didn't tell him anything other than the Roberts brought him in. He thinks it's because he's been sick and I don't want anyone saying anything about the attack for now. I don't think he can handle it."

"No one will. We've had something else come up, that we're trying to figure out," Antonio said.

"What's that?"

"The boys' car is missing. Kendall drove it to work yesterday, and that's the last anyone's seen of it," Antonio said.

"What are you thinking?" Olivia asked.

"I'm not sure, but I do need to call and let the police know," Antonio said, pulling out Officer Jordan's card. He was about to call when he saw Gustavo, Kelly, and Freight Train walking down the hall. He put his phone back in his pocket and waved at the trio.

"Who are they?" she asked.

"Gustavo is the boys' producer, Kelly is his assistant, and Freight Train is the boys' bodyguard when they're on tour," Antonio told her.

"Do they know what happened?"

"They know he was attacked, but not to what extent," he said as they reached the nurse's station.

"Do you trust them?"

Antonio nodded. "I do, they're like family."

"Alright, we'll get them set up then," Olivia said, nodding to the nurse.

After the nurse made the ID badges, Antonio and Olivia led them into a separate waiting room. Antonio needed to discuss Griffin with them and didn't want the boys hearing anything at the moment.

"What happened?" Gustavo asked.

Antonio looked at Olivia and nodded. "Please, take a seat," she said, indicating the stuffed chairs that lined the wall.

"I DON"T WANT TO TAKE A SEAT, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" Gustavo yelled.

"Gustavo, we talked about this," Kelly warned, pulling the man's arm and pushing him down onto a chair. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at Olivia.

Olivia smiled. "It's alright, I understand. This isn't an easy situation."

"What happened?" Gustavo asked again, in a much quieter voice. He was trying very hard to keep the panic he felt from overwhelming him.

"Logan's girlfriend, Camille, and her dad were walking in the park last night and found Kendall under a tree in the Palmwoods Park. He had been beaten and another man saw him come from an alley across from the park," Antonio said.

"Any idea who did it?" Gustavo asked, clenching his jaw.

"The police have a couple of leads, but now it seems like we may have been looking at the wrong suspect," Antonio said.

"Why?"

"Because the boys' car is missing. Kendall drove it work yesterday, and no one's seen it since," Antonio said.

"What do you mean he drove it to work? I gave the boys the week off," Gustavo said.

"Apparently Griffin wanted Kendall to meet with investors, while having the other boys do promotional work," Antonio told him.

"Did you know anything about this?" Gustavo asked Kelly.

"No one told me anything. Griffin knows he's supposed to go through proper channels because of the laws regarding minors in the industry," Kelly said.

"Call Griffin and find out he's up to!" Gustavo demanded.

"No, don't call Griffin," Antonio said.

"Why not!?" Gustavo yelled.

Antonio took a deep breath before continuing. "He already knows about this... he's actually the prime suspect. At least he was until the issue of the car came up, now I'm not sure where that leaves us."

WHAT?" Gustavo and Kelly both asked in shock.

"There's more," Olivia said, and she went on to explain about the drugging and assault. By the time she was finished, Kelly was sobbing and Freight Train sat there quietly, his arm around her. Gustavo hadn't said a word and after sitting there for a moment, he got up and walked out the door.

Antonio followed him, he was heading towards Kendall's room. "Gustavo, wait. Gustavo!" Antonio repeated, grabbing the man's arm and forcing him to stop.

"I need to see him," Gustavo said, his voice breaking.

"I know, but Kendall doesn't remember what happened. You can't say anything to him about it because he's not strong enough to handle it right now."

"Why does he think he's here?" Gustavo asked.

"He just woke up a little while ago and he knows the Roberts brought him in, but he thinks it's because he's been sick," Antonio explained.

Gustavo nodded and tried to control his breathing. He was beyond furious and felt physically ill at the thought of one of his dogs being attacked. His dogs... my dogs, my boys, he thought as he choked back a sob.

Antonio squeezed Gustavo's shoulder. "I know this is hard, but all the boys are going to need us to be strong for them."

Gustavo nodded. "Do they know?"

"Yes, although they don't know everything. They don't know that Griffin is a suspect, the police are going to speak to them later today about what's been happening," Antonio said quietly.

Gustavo nodded again. "Can I see him now?"

"Of course," Antonio said, putting an arm around the larger man's shoulders and leading him towards Kendall's room.

They got to the door and showed their ID badges to the nurse who was just coming out. "We just drew blood and gave him another dose of pain medication. He's nearly asleep, so please don't wake him if he nods off."

"We won't, thank you," Antonio said, opening the door. He and Gustavo went inside, Antonio making sure the door closed behind them.

Gustavo hesitated for a moment, but walked over to the bed and looked down at Kendall. The teen's eyes were closed and he was lying slightly on his left side, a body pillow under him for support. Gustavo ran his fingers lightly over the cast on Kendall's arm as he looked at all the bruises on the boy's face and arms. "What's wrong with his throat?" he asked quietly.

"They had to give him an emergency blood transfusion and that was the only vein that didn't collapse," Antonio said.

Gustavo nodded. "They think he'll recover?"

"Yes."

"I'll arrange for private nurses at my mansion, and as soon as he's well enough to be discharged, we'll move him there. All of the boys, the entire family, will stay there until this is over. Freight Train will stay here and make sure no one gets in and then he'll be there to watch over them at the mansion. If we need more security, I'll hire more. No one is going to hurt any of them again," Gustavo said.

At the sound of voices, Kendall's eyes fluttered opened and then closed again. He tried opening them again and could make out someone standing next to his bed. He tried focusing and realized it was Gustavo. He looked up at his boss and noticed the sadness in the man's blue eyes. "You 'kay?" he said, his voice raspy and weak.

Gustavo nodded, a little shocked by the question. "How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy and floaty," Kendall said, as he tried to keep his eyes open.

"Floaty?" Gustavo asked.

"Doctor said it's cause of the meds," Kendall said, his voice slurring slightly.

"Then try and get some sleep," Gustavo said.

"I'm s'pose to be at work," Kendall said, closing his eyes.

"No, your job right now is to get better," Gustavo said softly.

"'kay," Kendall mumbled as he fell back to sleep.

Griffin woke up, dressed, and went to his office to call Jessica.

"Hello," Jessica answered in a sleepy voice.

"Did you do what I said?" Griffin asked.

"Of course! I did as you asked, when I got home. No worries Artie."

"Good girl, meet me at the office and we'll go over what you need to say," Griffin ordered.

"I'll see you there. Will we have time to play for awhile?" she asked in a flirty tone.

"We'll see, I could use some stress relief," he said as he hung up, and then pressed the intercom button.

"Yes sir?" Milton answered.

"Call Parker and have the car brought around," Griffin said as he pulled on his jacket.

"Yes sir. Were you eating breakfast out this morning?"

"Yes, I'll have something brought into the office," Griffin said as grabbed his cell and keys.

Half an hour later Griffin walked into his office and found Jessica waiting. "So what's the plan?" she asked.

"Keep it simple. The two of you agreed to talk, after Kendall came to me about your advances. You wanted to take him out to eat, but he wasn't feeling well and just wanted to go home. Once you got close to the Palmwoods, he asked you to stop and got out, saying he needed some fresh air. You watched him walk towards the park and drove off," Griffin said.

"What if he remembers?"

"He won't, and even if he does... the fact that there were drugs in his system will discredit any testimony," Griffin said.

"You think of everything daddy," Jessica said, putting her arms around him.

"That's why I'm one of the most powerful men in the country," Griffin smirked.

"Can we have some fun?" Jessica asked as she kissed his neck.

"Why not?" he said as he locked the door to his office.

After Gustavo had calmed down, the two men walked back to the family waiting area. "I'll get Kelly and Freight Train," Antonio said as he opened the door. Gustavo nodded and went in, swallowing hard when he saw Logan and Carlos sitting there.

"Hey Gustavo," Carlos said quietly.

"Hey...how are you boys holding up?" Gustavo asked.

"Did Papi tell you?" Carlos asked.

Gustavo nodded and felt his eyes tear up again. The two boys looked at one another, jumped up, and hugged him

The older man stood there for a moment before pulling both teens into his arms and holding them tight. "We'll get through this and when I find out who did this, they are going to wish they'd never been born," he promised.

Neither boy said a word, but held onto him for dear life. The three stood there, taking comfort in one another's presence. The door opened and none of them moved, but Kelly and Freight Train both joined in the group hug.

Gustavo pulled back and cleared his throat. "Freight Train will be staying here for now, and as soon as Kendall's discharged, you will all be moving to my mansion until this is over. Where's James?" he asked, realizing the brunet was missing.

"He needed to stretch his legs, so he went to get a gift for Kendall," Antonio said. He knew that Gustavo didn't know about two boys' relationship, and it wasn't his place to tell him.

"Freight Train, go find him and stay with him," Gustavo said.

"He's fine, Sam and Camille are with him. Sam is a retired detective and can handle anything that comes up," Antonio said reassuringly.

"There are paparazzi downstairs," Gustavo said.

"We saw them, Sam's been a stage parent for a long time. They should be back any minute," Antonio said.

"Alright," Gustavo said, sitting down.

"Can I see him?" Kelly asked quietly.

Antonio nodded. "He's sleeping and they don't us to wake him."

Kelly nodded but just stood there. Logan went over and took her hand. "I'll go with you, Carlos can go with Papi."

She smiled gratefully and the two headed down to see Kendall.

Olivia popped her head in the door and motioned for Antonio to come out. "What is it?" he asked.

She opened a folder and pointed to the first page. "We have the results from the hair samples."

"And?" he asked.

"They're a match, the shampoo is from an exclusive line at Harrod's. Only half a dozen men in the city order it," she told him.

"Griffin," Antonio growled as he pulled out his cell. He punched in Officer Jordan's number and as soon as the man answered, told him the results.

"I'll get a warrant," Jordan said hanging up.

James didn't say much as he looked through the limited selection of items in the gift shop. He found an oversized dark blue hoodie and smiled. It looked a lot like the one that Kendall loved to borrow, so he found a medium and headed up to the register.

"What do you think of this?" Camille asked, holding up a brown and green braided leather bracelet.

"I think he'll love it," James said.

"Good," she smiled, getting in line behind him.

James set the hoodie on the counter and the cashier smiled. "Is this everything?"

"I think so," he said, as he pulled out his wallet. He took out his debit card an handed it to her, spotting something on the shelf behind the counter. "What is that?" he asked, pointing behind her.

She looked and gave him a smile. "It's from a new line of organic plush animals," she said handing him the small giraffe.

"That's SO sweet!" Camille said.

"It's so soft," he said, handing it back to the cashier. "I'll take it too."

The cashier smiled and rung up his purchases."Would you like these in gift bag?"

"Please."

She put them into a blue and silver gift bag and attached a ribbon at the top. She handed him the bag and his receipt. "If the hoodie doesn't fit, just bring it back with the receipt and we can exchange it."

"Thank you," he said and moved to the side and waited for Camille.

Sam patted him on the shoulder. "How are you holding up?"

James shook his head."I think I'm numb."

"What happened to your hand?" Sam asked.

James looked down. "I punched the mirror."

"Are you okay?"

"It's not that bad," he said.

"I'm not talking about your hand," Sam said.

"I know...I don't really know anything right now," James sighed.

"I know it's hard to see it right now, but things WILL get better."

"I just don't understand anything that's happening," James said.

"It's not easy to understand how some people can be so twisted and cruel, but they're going to find whoever did this, and that person will be going away for a VERY long time," Sam promised.

"What if he doesn't? What if they never find this guy? What if he does this again?" James asked.

"They will find him, they already have some leads. I can't tell you anymore than that right now, but I swear this person will be spending most of the rest of his life, behind bars."

"And Kendall?"

"Olivia knows some very good psychologists who specialize in this kind of thing, and she's already called a couple to set up a consultation. It wouldn't hurt to find all of you boys someone to talk to about this," Sam told him.

"Maybe," James said.

"Are we ready?" Camille asked, joining them.

"Yeah." James smiled.

She took his arm and the three headed for the elevator.

Griffin got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked into his office and smirked at Jessica, who was sitting on his desk, reapplying lipstick. "Get Mrs. Knight on the phone."

"I thought you wanted to wait until noon?" Jessica asked.

"Change of plans, we'll get this out of the way, get her permission to have Kendall transferred into my care, and move him to my mansion for now."

"Why? I thought you said he wouldn't remember anything," she pointed out.

"He most likely won't, but in case he does I need to be able to take care of it. Plus, it will reinforce that my intentions were only for his welfare. We wouldn't want the press to get wind of this...imagine the nightmare it would create for her family."

Jessica smiled as she picked up the phone.

Jen, Brooke, and Katie were on their way to KXJS radio station in Sacramento, when her cell rang. She reached into her purse to pull it out. "This had better be the boys with a VERY good explanation as to why they haven't called back," she said. "Hello."

"Mrs. Knight?" Jessica asked.

"Yes, this is Mrs. Knight," Jen sighed, thinking, Those boys are going to be grounded for the two next months.

"Hold for Mr. Griffin, please," Jessica said, handing the phone to the man.

"Mrs. Knight, where are you right now?"

"Sacramento, we're on our way to KXJS, why?" Jen asked.

"We've been trying to get ahold of you since yesterday. There must be something going on with your phones, because Mrs. Diamond's isn't working either," he said.

"That would explain a lot," she said.

"What does?" Brooke asked, looking over at her friend.

"Apparently our phones haven't been working and that's why we haven't heard from anyone," Jen told her.

"That doesn't make any sense, why can we call out?" Brooke asked.

Jen shrugged and shook her head. "So what's going on?" she asked Griffin.

"Mrs. Knight, I'm afraid something's happened," Griffin and told her about Kendall's attack.

Officer Jordan pulled up in front of Griffin's mansion and got out. He walked up to the door and rang the bell. Milton answered. "Yes?"

"Arthur Griffin, please," Jordan said.

"I'm afraid he's not here at the moment," Milton said, and attempted to close the door.

Jordan put his hand on the door. "Where is he?"

"Where he usually is this time of day."

"Which is?" Jordan asked.

"His office, of course," Milton said, closing the door.

Jordan knocked and Milton answered with an annoyed expression on his face. "Yes?"

"WHICH office? Address, now. If I find out that you're lying to me, I will arrest you for obstruction of justice. Is that CLEAR, Mr. Belvedere?"

Milton snorted in derision but gave Jordan the address.

Jordan got into his car and put a call into the station to let them know that he was on his way to Rocque Records.

James, Camille, and Sam walked back to the family waiting area, and saw Antonio and Olivia talking.

"What's going on? Is Kendall okay?" James asked.

"He's doing much better. In fact, we may be able to move him out of intensive care," Olivia smiled.

"Really?" James asked, relief showing in his eyes.

"Yes, we're just waiting for the results from the last blood panel we ran," Olivia said.

"Why don't you go see him? Gustavo, and the others are here and have already visited," Antonio said.

"How is Gustavo taking everything?" James asked quietly.

"I think he's doing alright. It was a shock, but he and Kelly are doing better now," Antonio told him.

"D-Does he know?" James asked.

"Only about what happened, nothing else," Antonio said.

James nodded and hugged him. '"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, Mijo," Antonio said, hugging him back.

"Is he awake?" James asked.

"On and off. The pain medication makes him sleepy, but he knows where he is and recognizes people. He still doesn't remember what happened, so don't say anything about it," Olivia said.

"I won't," James said. A part of him was hoping that Kendall never remembered what happened, including what he had done.

"Dad and I'll visit when you're finished," Camille said, kissing his cheek.

James nodded and started down the hallway. He got to Kendall's room and looked in through the glass panel, Kendall was asleep. James clutched the gift bag tightly and bit his lip as he opened the door. He took a deep breath and walked over to the bed. He sat next to Kendall, took his hand, and rubbed small circles over Kendall's fingers. "Hey baby, I'm here. I got something for you. They didn't have any ocelots, but the giraffe is really cute," he said, pulling the stuffed animal from the bag. He tucked it into the crook of Kendall's arm and smiled softly.

Kendall stirred and squeezed James' hand. "Are you awake?" James asked.

Kendall opened his eyes and blinked several times, trying to clear his vision. "I think so," he said. He didn't have much of a voice left, and James had to strain to hear him.

"I know you're really tired, so don't try and talk too much. I'm just so happy you're awake," James said.

"Why am I really here? No one will tell me anything," Kendall said, shifting uncomfortably in bed. He felt really strange and was getting shaky.

James noticed the sudden change in Kendall's demeanor. "Are you okay?"

"W-Where were you?" Kendall asked, his breathing becoming erratic. The monitor warnings started going off as something made it through the fog in his mind. He started shaking and tears started to fall.

"You left me there," Kendall whispered.

"Kendall, I'm so sorry, but I'm here now. Please forgive me!" James begged.

Kendall was staring through him, not seeing, not hearing. Olivia came running in, followed by Antonio and two nurses.

Antonio grabbed James and pulled him back as Kendall started screaming. "HE LEFT ME THERE! HE LEFT ME THERE!"


	26. Chapter 26

Griffin and Jessica sat in the back of the limo as they drove to Cedars-Sinai. His cell rang and he looked at the caller ID and answered. 'This is Arthur Griffin."

"This is Nurse Patterson from Premier Nursing Services. I'm calling to confirm your request for a bed, monitoring equipment, and around-the-clock nurses."

"Yes, that's right. Have them there within the hour, we'll be bringing the patient home with us," Griffin said.

"What is the condition of the patient?" she asked.

"Stable but serious. We'll be bringing his records with us, but he requires fluids and pain medication."

"Where do you want us to set-up?" she asked.

"There's a guest room next to my office. Milton will show you where it is and how I want it set-up."

"Very good, I'll make sure that everything is there waiting for you," she said and hung up.

"Do you really think they're going to allow you to take him?" Jessica asked

"I have a signed consent form from his mother, and until Mrs. Knight gets here, I have custody. They have nothing to connect me to this, except for Copen, and he's left town," Griffin said.

"He left files telling them about the drug testing," she reminded him.

"Yes...drug testing which he conducted without my consent or knowledge."

"And if they find him?" she asked.

"If they find him, we'll deal with that then. It will be my word against his, and with his history and you to back me up, he'll be spending the rest of his life behind bars." Griffin smiled.

"Does this mean you'll be keeping me on?" she asked.

"Of course. There may even be a big promotion in your future," Griffin said.

There had better be, you old, perverted freak, or you will find out who's REALLY holding all the cards. she thought. She smiled to herself as she thought about the towel and vial that she had hidden away safely at her apartment. "What about the DNA testing, do you think they'll find anything?"

Griffin smiled thinking of the shampoo samples that he had WayneWayne stash in the boys' bathroom. "Not one thing."

Olivia tried to hold Kendall down so he wouldn't pull his IV loose or hurt himself. "Kendall, you need to calm down, sweetheart! You're safe and no one is going to hurt you."

"Doctor Burns, do you want a sedative?" a nurse asked.

Olivia shook her head, no. "Not yet, I don't want to keep giving him amnesia inducing drugs. Let's try and ride this out," she yelled, trying to be heard over Kendall's screams. He was still weak so she and the nurses were able to hold him down.

James stood there in shock. Kendall was still screaming and every note was like a knife through his heart. He watched as Olivia and the nurses tried to hold the blond down, and when he finally collapsed back against the pillows, James took a deep breath, pulled away from Antonio, and ran to the bed.

"James!" Antonio yelled, trying to catch ahold of the teen.

"No! I can reach him, I can make him hear me!" he yelled, pushing past the nurse.

Olivia looked at him and then at Antonio. She nodded. "Let him try."

Antonio released James' arm but stood close, just in case he was needed.

"Tell him that you're trying to find him, but you don't know where he is," Olivia whispered.

"What? That's not true though," James said.

"I know, but he doesn't know where he is right now and we need to know where this happened. If he responds to you, he might be able to tell us," Olivia said. She hated putting him in this position, but it was the best chance they had at the moment.

James sat next to Kendall and pulled him up into his arms. "Kendy, I'm here."

"You left me there," Kendall sobbed.

"I-I don't know where you are. Please tell me where you are!" James said, fighting back tears.

Kendall stopped fighting him. His eyes were closed and he started shaking. "P-Please help me J-Jamie."

"Always," James promised as tears started to fall. "B-But you need to tell me where you are."

"The bad room," Kendall said, his voice starting to fail him.

"Which room, where is it?" James asked, pulling him closer.

"B-Behind the wall...don't let him take me back there!"

"Which wall?" James asked again.

"In t-the b-bathroom...I broke the l-lock but he g-got out."

"Who got out, who hurt you?" James asked, as he tucked Kendall's head under his chin.

"Don't let him take me back there," Kendall cried.

"I'm here, you're safe, no one is going to hurt you. Please believe me, baby."

Kendall lay silently in James' arms for a couple of moments. He opened his eyes and looked up at James. "Y-You came, you f-found me?"

James smiled softly through the tears as he brushed Kendall's bangs back from his eyes. "Always."

'Y-You don't h-hate me?" Kendall asked. He was so confused by all the memories and visions going through his mind, and was having difficulty understanding what was happening.

"Never. I'm so sorry, I was being so stupid. I love you more than anything," James said, kissing Kendall's forehead.

"Ask him who was there," Olivia said quietly.

James shook his head. "Can't we let him rest?"

"He's remembering bits and pieces, now may be the only chance we have, Mijo," Antonio said.

James squeezed his eyes shut, he didn't want to do this. He didn't want to hear anymore, he just wanted things the way they were a week ago. "I hate this," he whispered.

"I know, but we need to try," Antonio said.

James took a shaky breath and pulled Kendall even closer. "Kendy, can you tell me who was there?"

"Hmm?" Kendall mumbled, not opening his eyes.

"Who was there with you?" James asked again.

Kendall shook his head. "N-No."

"It's okay, he can't hurt you anymore. I promise I won't let him near you, but you need to tell me his name."

"He'll hurt you, he'll hurt everyone," Kendall said, tightening his hold on James.

"No he won't, Papi is going to keep everyone safe," James promised.

"P-Papi..." Kendall said, trying to put his thoughts in order.

"He's here to take care of all of us. So don't be afraid, he'll make the bad man go away forever," James said, looking at Antonio.

Antonio smiled at the two boys. "He's right Mijo, I won't let him hurt you again."

Threats echoed in Kendall's mind as he looked over at Antonio. "Don't let him hurt Carlos."

"What do you mean?" Antonio asked.

"He said h-he wants to p-play with him. DON"T LET HIM HURT HIM!" Kendall cried.

"I won't, but you have to tell me who did this," Antonio said, his jaw was clenching. He could feel the anger start to rise as he looked at the devastated teen.

"S-She was there, she knows..." Kendall said as he lost consciousness.

"She?" Olivia asked.

"Is he okay?" James asked.

Olivia checked the monitors and Kendall's colour. "He's doing alright, he just needs rest now."

"I'm staying," James said as he pulled his legs up onto the bed. He looked around and noticed the nurses were gone.

Olivia patted him on the shoulder. "I sent them out. They don't need to know everything about your lives."

"Thank you," James said. He hadn't even thought about the fact that there were strangers in the room when he was talking to Kendall.

"Why don't you get some rest too?" Olivia suggested.

James nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted. "What about the nurses?"

"All they need to know is that you're his best friend and can keep him calm. They won't ask any questions, they're the best staff there is and they've all been chosen for their dedication to confidentiality," Olivia told him.

James nodded and pulled the blanket up around Kendall. "Thank you."

"Get some sleep, Mijo," Antonio said, as he and Olivia headed out the door.

"So we have a room behind a wall, a broken lock, and a 'she'," Olivia said as they walked towards the family waiting area.

"But no name," Antonio said, shaking his head.

"Dr. Burns!" the desk nurse called out.

Olivia looked down the hall towards the nurses station and saw Griffin standing there with the blonde from the night before. There were two different medics with a gurney standing behind them. "He's got a hell of a nerve," she hissed, hurrying down the hallway, Antonio right behind her.

"Doctor, so glad you're here today," Griffin smirked.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked.

The nurse handed her a paper. "He has a consent form from Kendall Knight's mother, granting him temporary custody."

Olivia looked it over and shook her head. "He's not stable enough and how do I know this is real?"

"Oh, it's real... but just in case there's any question about it's authenticity, I had his mother send this recording. I'm sure Officer Garcia will recognize her voice," Griffin said pulling out his phone. He hit a button and Jennifer Knight started speaking. "T-This is Jennifer Knight and I'm allowing Arthur Griffin to take temporary custody of my son, Kendall. He will be taking him to his home, with a private staff of doctors, so that no press will be allowed to h-harass my b-baby," she said. It was obvious she was crying and another woman's voice could be heard in the background. "I'm granting him temporary c-custody until I am home and can make all decisions r-regarding my s-son's care. P-Please do as I request, and release K-Kendall to Griffin."

"There is NO way in hell I'm letting you take him," Olivia said, crossing her arms.

"Then I will have the police escort him out and press charges against you AND this hospital," Griffin said calmly.

Olivia looked at Antonio whose face was red and his hands were clenched into fists. "It's her voice."

Olivia looked back at Griffin and shook her head again. "No, you will have to go through me."

"The police it is then," Griffin smiled.

Jessica pulled out her phone and punched in a number. "Yes, we need an officer at Cedars-Sinai to help us escort a patient out of the hospital."

"If it's the police you want...here I am," Officer Jordan said, coming up behind them.

The angry voices could be heard in the family waiting area. "Is that Griffin?" Carlos asked.

Sam went to the door and looked out. "Boys, stay in here. Do NOT come out under any circumstances," he ordered as he closed the door behind him.

Gustavo looked at Freight Train and nodded. The gentle giant quickly followed Sam... Gustavo and Kelly right behind him. Gustavo looked over at Carlos, Logan, and Camille. "DO as he said and stay in here." He closed the door firmly behind him.

Freight Train had looked over at the nurses station and immediately turned and headed for Kendall's room. He checked the door to make sure it was closed and stood directly in front of it, no one was getting past him.

Gustavo and Kelly walked over to where Antonio and Olivia were standing. "What's going on?" Gustavo asked.

Antonio quickly told him and Gustavo turned five shade of red. Kelly stood next to him, her hand on his arm, not saying anything.

"Mr. Griffin, you were a hard man to track down this morning," Jordan said, pulling out a sheet of paper.

"If you're not here to enforce the law, stay out of my way," Griffin said dismissively.

"That is exactly why I am here. Arthur Griffin you are under arrest for the assault and unlawful detainment of Kendall Knight. You are also charged with administering illegal substances to a minor and sexually assaulting him. That being said: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"

"This is absurd!" Griffin yelled. "You have no proof, no witnesses, nothing!"

"Do you understand these rights or not?" Jordan asked again.

"Yes, I understand my rights and you need to understand that I will have your badge," Griffin said.

Jordan smiled as he pulled out his handcuffs. "There are some days I'd let you have it...but not today. Today is a good day to be a cop."

Jordan slapped the cuffs on one wrist when suddenly Griffin was on the floor, Kelly on top of him, swinging away. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? HOW COULD YOU HURT A KID LIKE THAT?! HE DIDN'T DESERVE THIS!" Jordan stood there in shock for a second before trying to pull Griffin away from her.

Antonio had rushed over and caught Kelly by the arm, pulling her back. She pulled away and launched herself at Griffin again, this time aiming a strong punch to his groin. The older man shrieked and fell to his knees as she grabbed him by the jacket and shoved him down. This time Antonio grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away. Gustavo got in front of her and took her by the shoulders. He shook his head. "No Kelly! I know this is hard, but let the police deal with him."

"He..." she said, choking back a sob and pointing at Griffin.

"I know, but HE isn't worth it. The boys need us now...I need you. Please honey, I swear he'll get what's coming to him, but the right way." Gustavo said softly, his eyes were filling with tears again. He would love nothing more than to beat Griffin into oblivion, but them being arrested wasn't going to help Kendall.

She nodded and dissolved into tears, as Gustavo pulled her close.

"I want her arrested," Griffin squeaked out.

"For what?" Jordan asked calmly.

"What do you mean for what?" Griffin sputtered.

Jordan got very close to Griffin. "I would really think about that if I were you. Do you want it to get around that a tiny little thing like that beat the crap out of a big, strong guy like you? Not only would you be the laughing stock of this town, but it would DEFINITELY give any new potential cellmates something to consider. You're already going to be VERY low on the hospitality scale, do you really want to make yourself a bigger target? It should make for some VERY interesting talk, especially since you weren't even handcuffed."

Griffin glared at Jordan. "Jessica, call my lawyer and have him meet us at the station. Tell him to arrange for bail immediately."

Jordan pulled Griffin up. "Yeah...good luck with that. The courts are backed up for days, you'll be lucky if you get a hearing before next month."

"That's what you think," Griffin said as Jordan pulled him towards the elevators. Griffin was still yelling as the doors opened and Jordan pulled him inside.

Olivia crossed her arms and looked at Jessica. "Well? Don't you think you should leave now?"

Jessica glared at her for a second before pulling out her phone and heading for the elevators.


	27. Chapter 27

**Terribly sorry for the late update. First too many hours of work, then looking for another job, and then too many hours of work, on top of trying to get a book ready for publishing. This isn't as long as I wanted it to be, but I wanted to get something posted.**

Griffin sat in the back of the police car making mental notes. Fire Gustavo and Wainwright...no, better yet, separate them and ship them off to different locations. Of course, Wainwright wouldn't have to go but there are other ways to make things difficult for her. Gustavo, on the other hand, is still under contract and has to do what I say, Griffin thought with a small amount of satisfaction.

He cleared his throat as he looked through the partition at Officer Jordan. "You know, this is all one huge mistake."

Jordan rolled his eyes and ignored than man's attempt at conversation. He knew that remaining silent unnerved prisoners more that pointing out facts or threatening them. They had more than enough evidence to convict this prick and he was going to celebrate the day he was sentenced to prison. He smiled a little as he pulled into the precinct parking area and got out. "I guess we'll find that out," he said as he pulled Griffin out of the car.

"Yes we will," Griffin said glaring at the man.

Kelly couldn't stop crying. Olivia and Gustavo guided her back to the second waiting room, they didn't want the boys asking what had happened. Gustavo helped Kelly to a chair, sat down next to her, and put his arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on his shoulder as she sobbed. "H-He didn't deserve this, he's j-just a baby. He's such a s-sweet boy, we never should have b-brought them here. T-They should be h-home safe and away from the e-evil in this town."

"Shh, honey try and calm down. We're going to take care of them, everything will be alright," Gustavo said, trying to comfort her.

"How? How is anything ever going to be alright again? This is my fault, I shouldn't have convinced him to audition. We should have left them where they were safe. At the very least I should have checked in on them while Mrs. Knight was gone," Kelly said, completely inconsolable.

Olivia sat down next to her and took her hand. "There is no way you could have known, or prevented, this. I've seen this before and I believe Griffin is a serial predator. He treats people like possessions, uses them up, and then moves on to the next victim. I'm willing to bet there are a lot of people out there that he's done this to, and with any luck, we can put him away forever."

"H-How does that help the boys? How does that make this something that Kendall can live with?" Kelly asked, looking over at her.

"Justice is very effective in the healing process. He also has all of you, his mom, the Roberts, and me. We will help him through this. There are thousands of people who are victimized every day who don't have half of the support that he has. He's young, he's strong, and most importantly, he's loved," Olivia told her.

"She's right, and we're going to be there for him and the other boys, every step of the way," Gustavo promised.

"Do you know how hard this is going to be? He'll have to testify in court, he isn't just a regular kid, he's the lead singer in a band. It won't matter that they aren't supposed release the names of victims, the paparazzi will find out and make his life a living hell!" Kelly said.

"Then we'll be there to make sure no one gets to him," Gustavo promised.

"H-How?"

"There is the possibility this won't go to trial. With the evidence the police have, Griffin may be willing to take a plea bargain to spare himself the humility of trial and get a shorter sentence," Olivia said.

"Do you think so?" Kelly asked.

"It's possible. I can't imagine that Griffin would want this to go to trial, not with his high profile in this city. Plus, he would run the risk of more victims coming forward and that would pretty much seal his fate," Olivia said.

"I h-hope so," Kelly said as she took a deep breath, trying to get her emotions under control.

"Are you going to be alright?" Olivia asked.

Kelly looked at her and nodded.

"Alright, I'm going to go check on Kendall. Antonio and Sam are next door with the other kids," Olivia said standing up.

"Thank you," Kelly said quietly.

"Thank you," Olivia said, smiling at her.

"For what?"

"You really nailed that bastard and you have no idea how I wish it could have been me," Olivia said.

"Four years of karate and kick boxing," Kelly told her.

"You'll have to teach me some of your moves," Olivia said, opening the door.

"Anytime," Kelly said, giving her a small smile.

"I'll hold you to that," Olivia said as she headed out the door to check on Kendall.

* * *

 

After the call, Jen, Brooke, and Katie headed to the nearest airport where Griffin had tickets waiting for them on the next available flight. They ran to the airline ticket agent and saw the long line of people waiting to check-in.

"Go sit down, I'll take care of this," Brooke said.

When Jen didn't respond, Katie took her hand and tugged at her. "Come on mom."

Jen nodded and allowed Katie to lead her over to some nearby chairs. She put her arm around her daughter and pulled her close. Her mind was still reeling from what Griffin had told her had happened to Kendall. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back the tears, as she replayed the conversation in her mind.

_"Mrs. Knight, I'm afraid something's happened with Kendall," Griffin started._

_"What do you mean, happened?" Jen asked, wondering what trouble her son had gotten into this time._

_"He's in the hospital and he's doing alright, but you need to come home as soon as possible. I'll arrange a flight back for you immediately."_

_"What happened?" Jen asked again._

_"Apparently he was found unconscious in the Palmwoods Park, I think by one of the boys' friends. They got him to the hospital and, well...there's something that I need to tell you, but it won't be easy to hear," Griffin said, clearing his throat a little._

_"What do you mean? You said he's doing alright," Jen said, trying not to panic at the man's words._

_"He is, but apparently he was beaten and left there, possibly a robbery gone wrong. Unfortunately, they also found signs of a possible sexual assault," Griffin explained._

_"W-What did you say?" Jen asked as she felt the blood drain from her face._

_"They hadn't confirmed it when I last saw him, which is another thing I needed to discuss with you. I have arranged for an entire nursing staff and one of the finest doctor to attend to him, but I feel he would be safer in a private location. I have more than enough room at my mansion for him, as well as you and your daughter. My security team is exemplary and can deal with any paparazzi, and there WILL be paparazzi once word of his attack gets out. This way we can keep any potential rumours to a minimum, and there have already been a few."_

_"T-Thank you," Jen said, her mind reeling._

_"There is no need to thank me, I would do it for any of the boys. However, because he is a minor, the doctor is reluctant to release him into my care, so I will need your written permission and possible a verbal statement, to satisfy their conditions."_

_"Of c-course, whatever I need to d-do. Thank you Griffin, I'm n-not sure what to say," Jen said, as she fought back tears._

_"No thanks are necessary Mrs. Knight. Call me once you get to the hotel so that we can take care of the legalities and I'll have Kendall transferred to my home as soon as possible," Griffin said._

_"I w-will," Jen said._

_Brooke had pulled over at that point. "What's going on?"_

_"W-We have to go h-home," Jen told her._

_"What happened?"_

_"Kendall's in the h-hospital. I'll t-tell you more while we're p-packing," Jen said, glancing back at Katie._

_Brooke nodded and pulled back into traffic, make a sharp u-turn, and headed back to the hotel._

"Mom?" Katie asked.

Jen opened her eyes and looked at Katie. "Yes, honey?"

"What's going on? I know you're not telling me everything," Katie said.

"When we get home," Jen promised.

"Mom, I have a right to know!"

"Katie! When we get home...please!" Jen said.

Katie's eyes teared up. Jen had never snapped at her like that, so it had to be something really bad.

Jen pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Katie. Please give me until we get home."

"It's okay, mom," Katie said, as she pressed her face into Jen's shoulder so no one would see her cry.

"No it's not. I love you baby," Jen said holding her tightly.

"They're going to let us on first, I already checked the luggage," Brooke said, taking Jen's arm and helping her up.

"Thank you Brooke," Jen said, putting her arm around Katie and pulling her closer as they walked through the crowded airport.

* * *

 

Olivia walked to Kendall's room. She stopped and looked up at Freight Train. "Are you doing alright."

"Yes ma'am," Freight Train replied.

"If you need anything, just ask one of the nurses. I can have them bring a chair down for you," Olivia said.

"I'm used to standing, thank you," he said.

"If you're staying here 24 hours a day, you're getting a chair," Olivia said firmly.

Freight Train gave her a small smile and opened the door for her. "Thank you ma'am."

"Call me Olivia," she said, as she went inside.

* * *

 

Bill Rutger got to the police station just moments before Griffin arrived. Jessica had called him and explained what had happened. He checked in at the desk and then took a seat to wait for his client.

Jessica walked in and sat down next to him. "There's a good chance that Mr. Griffin will want to have charges pressed against Kelly Wainwright."

"For what?" Rutger asked.

"She assaulted him at the hospital," Jessica told him.

"In what way?" he asked.

"In the, he hit the floor with her trying to beat the hell out of him, way," Jessica said.

"I seriously doubt Ms. Wainwright could cause any damage to Griffin," Rutger said, knowing the man worked out.

"Let's just say it's a good thing he doesn't want anymore kids," Jessica said, shaking her head an sitting back in the chair.

Rutger rolled his eyes at the young woman's annoying manner and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick text to his wife, letting her know he would probably be working late and not to hold dinner.

A few minute later Jordon walked in the door, pulling Griffin along with him.

Jessica jumped up, but Rutger put a hand on her and and shook his head. He needs to go through processing and you won't be allowed in the interrogation room."

"I'm his assistant," she stated.

"I am his attorney and THAT is the law," he snapped back. He was tired of her foolishness and knew that Griffin was probably sleeping with her.

Jessica huffed and sat back down. "Fine."

"It's probably going to take all day, maybe you should go home and get some rest," Rutger suggested.

"I need to be here when he gets out," she said.

"Depending on what the police have, he may not BE getting out. In fact, I think you should either run to his house and let Mrs. Griffin know what's going on, or go to the office and have Eileen do it," Rutger said firmly.

"I can call Eileen from here," she snapped.

He took a step closer to her and lowered his voice. "What I am saying is that you need to leave. If word of his arrest gets out, the last thing Griffin needs is to have the paparazzi snapping photos of a young woman waiting for him, while his wife is nowhere to be seen."

"She's out of town," Jessica smirked.

"Even more reason why you need to stay out of sight," Rutger told her.

"I don't think Griffin would care for the way you're speaking to me," she said.

"I don't think he would care to have a scandal on top of what is already going on. There is a lot at stake here and he is not the only one who stands to lose," Rutger told her.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He leaned in closer. "It means, YOUR name has come up in this investigation more than once, so I suggest that you maintain some degree of decorum because they will be speaking to you as well."

"I haven't done anything!"

"Then you don't have anything to worry about," he said.

She glared at him. "Fine. I'll go to the office and wait to hear from you."

He smirked in satisfaction as she started out the door. "Don't forget to call his wife."

She turned, looked back at him, and huffed. "Eileen can call her. You make sure to call me as soon as you know anything."

"Cold day in hell," he said under his breath as he watched her leave.

Two hours later Griffin had been processed and Rutger was led to the interrogation room, where Officer Jordan, Sergeant Plummer, and DA Jane Patterson were waiting. He nodded and smiled politely as he walked over to where a very irate Griffin was sitting.

"Arthur," he said, taking the chair next to him.

"About time," Griffin grumbled.

"Come now Mr. Griffin, you can't blame your attorney for following procedure," Patterson said.

"What are we looking at ?" Rutger asked

Patterson handed him a file. "Aggravated assault and battery, illegal detainment, the administering of illegal substances with intent to commit sexual assault, sexual assault of a minor, and attempted murder of Kendall Knight."

"That's absurd!" Griffin shouted.

"Arthur, that's enough," Rutger hissed, as he looked over the file.

"We have evidence that Mr. Griffin has been administering drugs to Mr. Knight for several days now, with full knowledge that it could cause permanent damage, if not death. We also have physical evidence and the police are on their way to Mr. Griffin's office to conduct a complete search of the facility," Patterson said, handing Rutger the court order.

"You do NOT have physical evidence," Griffin huffed.

"Lab results, page four," Patterson said to Rutger.

Rutger read them over and groaned inwardly. "I'd like to confer with my client."

"Of course," Patterson said, standing up. The two officers followed her out the door.

Rutger took a deep breath, debating on what to say to Griffin. He was thoroughly disgusted by the other man's attitude and wondered how he could make him understand exactly how much trouble he was in.

"Get bail posted so I can get out of here," Griffin ordered.

Rutger looked at him for a moment. "You may not be given bail."

"That's ridiculous, and I want these things off!" Griffin said, holding up a wrist which was cuffed to the table.

"The charges are all class "A" felonies and the DA will argue that you are a flight risk," Rutger told him.

Griffin rolled his eyes. "Why am I paying you?"

"Arthur, they have evidence that ties you to the victim," Rutger explained.

"Nonsense, what possible evidence could they have?"

"Are you aware that your hair care products are so exclusive that only five other men in Los Angeles purchase it?"

"I have no idea how many people purchase it, and exactly why does that matter?" Griffin asked, already knowing the answer.

"It matters because of the six men who have purchased it, YOU are the one that Kendall Knight knows," Rutger said.

"So, what you're saying is that Kendall and I used the same brand of shampoo?" Griffin asked.

"That's what the lab results show."

"Do you think it could be because I gave him the small sample bottles that came with the order?" Griffin asked with a small smile.

"Did you?" Rutger asked.

"Yes, I'm sure they will find the bottles in the boys' apartment," Griffin smirked.

Rutger watched his client for a moment. "Arthur, you had better be sure about this because if they don't find those bottles and they haven't been used, you could very well be going to prison for the rest of your life."

"They'll find them, now get me out of here," Griffin ordered.

"That is still up to the judge, and it won't be that easy to convince the judge given the severity of all the other charges," Rutger told him.

"If they don't have physical evidence, they have nothing to hold me on," Griffin said.

"Wrong, they have the files from this Dr. Copen which means that the DEA could also become involved, and that means federal charges."

"I had nothing to do with what Copen did," Griffin said.

"That is not what the files say," Rutger said, shaking his head.

"Dr. Brandt will back me up," Griffin told him, thinking of the conversation he had had with the head of the laboratory.

"You had better hope so."

"I know so," Griffin snapped.

Rector shook his head again." Arthur, I've known you for a lot of years and you know you can trust me, not only as your lawyer but as your friend. I can't help you unless you're honest with me, and attorney-client privilege does apply here."

"I've done nothing wrong except try and take care of one of my employees, and since I now have his mother's permission, that is what I intend on doing. I need you to get me out of here so that I can do just that," Griffin said.

"Arthur, you need to let that go. There is no way the hospital is going to release Kendall into your custody. If you're worried about the paparazzi harassing him, hire some plainclothes security to protect him," Rutger suggested.

"I have Jennifer Knight's written and verbal consent to move Kendall to my home to be cared for, and that is what I intend to do," Griffin said firmly.

"She's on her way here, correct?" Rutger asked.

"Soon," Griffin answered.

"Perhaps it would be better for her to decide that once she gets here and has had a chance to speak with the doctors," Rutger suggested.

Griffin leaned over and looked Rutger in the eyes. "You will call Jessica and have her call the medics to move Kendall Knight immediately. I have already arranged for a car to pick up Mrs. Knight and her daughter and to bring them to my home, and it is up to you to make sure that I am there to greet them when they arrive."

Rutger shook his head." I'm sorry Arthur, I won't do that. I don't believe it's in your best interests to follow through with this, and I firmly believe that he is better off in the hospital."

Griffin's eyes narrowed. "If you won't do what I say then give me your phone and I will call her."

"You know I can't do that without permission. You are only allowed one phone call and would have to place a formal request."

"I haven't used my phone call, Jessica called you," Griffin reminded him.

"Then I will have the officer bring you a phone. Arthur, we have to go by procedure and you need to realize that your attitude is not helping your situation."

"Just get me the phone and then get me out of here," Griffin growled.

"I'll do what I can," Rutger said, standing up.

"You will do what I tell you," Griffin snapped.

Rutger turned and looked at him as he opened the door. "I will DO what the courts allow."

Griffin sat back in his chair, smiling at the two-way glass mirror. "That's all I ask."

* * *

 

Olivia smiled sadly at the sight of the two sleeping boys. James was mostly sitting up and Kendall's head was tucked under his chin.

"You've got a long road ahead of you," she said softly, as she checked the monitors.

"Is he okay?" James whispered.

"He's doing fine. How are you holding up?"

"I don't even know. I don't understand how this could happen, it's like something out of a horror movie," James said, sitting up a little more.

"I know it's difficult, but the important thing right now is to concentrate on helping him heal physically and emotionally," Olivia said.

"How?"

"Make sure he knows how much he's loved and that he's not to blame for anything," Olivia told him.

"I will," James said, squeezing his eyes shut to prevent the tears that threatened to fall. He felt gentle fingers run through his hair.

"I know you love him and I'm sure he knows that too," Olivia said.

"I left him there," James whispered as the magnitude of what had happened started to overwhelm him.

"You're here now and that's what's important."

"This wouldn't have happened if I had listened to him," James said.

Olivia sighed, wishing she could tell the teen that it wouldn't have made any difference, given who the attacker was. "James, there are things that happen that are beyond our control. There are people who are so malignant that nothing can stop them, until they go too far. Unfortunately, by the time that happens, it's an innocent who pays the price. I can promise you that the person who did this will be very sorry that they crossed that line."

James looked at her. "You know who did this, don't you?"

"Not for certain, but they do have a suspect."

"Who is it?" James asked.

"I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that the police are doing everything they can to bring him to justice," Olivia told him.

"But I need..." James started, as he felt Kendall tense up suddenly.

Olivia noticed the change and quickly moved to the other side of the bed as the beeping on the heart monitor picked up. "Kendall, can you hear me?"

"N-No, n-no, no," Kendall said, feeling arms holding him tight.

"It's okay, I've got you," James said, pulling him loser.

"NO! Let me go!" Kendall screamed.

"Kendy, it's me. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you," James promised as Kendall started to struggle against his hold.

"LET ME GO!" Kendall screamed again, trying to push away from James.

Olivia took ahold of his arm. "Kendall, it's alright you're safe here."

"Don't touch me!" Kendall said, still trying to pull away from James.

"Kendall, it's me!" James said, trying to get through to him.

"I know who you are, leave me alone!" Kendall choked out, a sob escaping as James let go of him.

James felt a cold chill run through him as he quickly released Kendall and stood up. "What have I done?" he whispered as he watched as Olivia try to comfort the blond.

The door opened and Freight Train looked in, taking in the scene before entering and closing the door behind him. "What can I do?" he asked Olivia.

Olivia nodded towards James, who seemed to be in shock. "I've got Kendall, can you get Antonio so he can take care of James?"

Freight Train nodded and quickly headed out the door as a nurse came in. "Dr. Burns, what do you need?"

"Could you help James to a chair please?" Olivia asked, sitting on the bed next to Kendall. He had stopped struggling once James had released him, and was now quietly crying.

The nurse pulled a chair close to James and helped him sit down. James didn't resist, he just stared at his own hands, wondering how he could have allowed this to happen.

"Anything else doctor?"

"I think we're alright for now, but stay close," Olivia said as she wrapped her arms around Kendall.

The nurse nodded and left, closing the door tightly behind her.

"Shh, shh, shh," Olivia hummed, gently rocking the teen as he cried.

A moment later the door opened and Antonio entered. He went over to James and knelt down in front of him. "What happened?" he asked softly.

James shook his head. "It's my fault. I should have listened to him, I should have done something."

"It's not your fault son, and the one who is responsible for this is going to pay a heavy price," Antonio said.

"I didn't LISTEN to him," James repeated.

"Mijo, there's no way any of you could have known what was going to happen. This wasn't a random act and the person responsible for this took a lot of time and care to make sure that everything would turn out the way he wanted," Antonio told him.

James looked at him. "Who! Who would do this?"

Antonio looked over at Olivia, who nodded. As much as they wanted to wait to talk to the boys, James couldn't go on like this.

Antonio stood up, pulling James with him. "Come on. Let's go I think it's time we all have a talk," he said, ushering the teen out the door and down the hallway to where the other boys were waiting.


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you to everyone is reading and reviewing, I truly appreciate your kindness.**

Antonio and James were walking back to the family waiting area and saw Kelly and Gustavo walking back into the room. James' cell rang, he looked at the caller ID, and stopped walking as he answered. "M-Mom, what's going on? Where are you? I need you so much," he said, choking back a sob.

Antonio put his arm around the teen and led him down to the second waiting room so he could have some privacy. He opened the door and ushered James inside, guiding him to a chair. "I'll be right outside the door."

James nodded. "Thank you."

Antonio smiled softly as he closed the door behind him.

"We're getting ready to board the plane now, we'll be there in just a couple of hours," Brooke said.

"Everything's so messed up, I don't know what to do."

"I know darling, Griffin told us what happened. Everything will be alright," Brook said trying to reassure him.

"M-mom, m-mama, it's never going to be alright again," James said as he started to cry again.

Brooke, Jen, and Katie were led to their seats aboard the plane and Brooke nodded to Jen that she and Katie should sit.

"I'm afraid you'll have to hang-up and switch your cell to airplane mode before we take off," the flight attendant told her.

Brooke arched an eyebrow at her. "We have nearly twenty minutes until then. One of our children is in the hospital, and I am speaking to my little boy."

"I understand and you will be allowed to call back once we've reached 10,000 feet," the attendant said.

"Then I will end the call before we take-off," Brooke said.

The attendant smiled sympathetically. "I'll let you know when it's time and when we've reached 10,000 feet."

"Thank you," Brooke said.

"Mom?" James asked.

"I'm here darling, I'll have to hang up before take-off, but I'll call you right back," Brooke told him.

"I-I don't know w-what to do," James said.

"I know baby, but I promise we're going to do everything we can to help him," Brooke said quietly. She knew Katie didn't know what had happened yet, and was trying to keep her voice low and even.

"Y-You don't u-understand, t-this is my fault," James said.

"Darling, I know you feel like the protector of the group, but some things are beyond your control."

"M-Mama, I have to t-tell you something," James said. Brooke knew he was bi, but not that he and Kendall had been dating, and he wasn't sure how she was going to take it. She had never liked any of his girlfriends, and had only liked one boy that he had dated for a short time.

"Honey, what is it?"

James took a ragged breath. "K-Kendall and I...K-Kendall and I..."

Brooke looked over at Jen who was still comforting Katie. "Kendall and you what?"

"W-We've b-been dating for a f-few months," James managed to get out.

Brooke's heart sank. "What?"

"Mama Knight d-doesn't know. W-We were waiting to t-tell anyone b-because of the b-band. We w-wanted to take it slow to m-make sure because of our f-friendship," James told her.

Brooke caught Jen's eye and mouthed "I'll be right back."

Jen nodded. "Is everything okay?"

"Just some business I need to take care of," Brooke said, patting her arm as she headed for the restrooms.

"I'm s-sorry I didn't tell y-you, but we wanted to be s-sure," James said again.

"It's alright darling, you know I love Kendall. It's just a surprise, I didn't think he liked boys," Brooke said as she closed the bathroom door.

"He doesn't really, it's c-complicated but it doesn't matter now because he hates me," James told her.

"Kendall could never hate you, now what's going on?" Brooke asked.

"I t-thought he was c-cheating on m-me with Griffin's intern and I t-told him...I t-told him," James said as he started sobbing again.

"You told him what?" Brooke asked softly.

"I t-told him we were through and t-to stay away f-from me or w-we couldn't be friends either!"

"Was he cheating on you?"

"N-No, J-Jessica lied and I'm pretty s-sure Griffin lied, I j-just don't know why. N-Now K-Kendall's hurt and he h-hates me," James told her.

"Of course he doesn't, he's just not feeling very well right now," Brooke said carefully. It occurred to her that she didn't know if the other boys knew the full extent of the attack on their friend.

"H-He's hurt so bad, and it's m-my fault."

"Darling, of course it's not your fault and he's going to be alright," Brooke said.

James took a deep breath. "Mama he c-called me. He was b-begging me to help him but I t-thought it was a t-trick to get me to t-talk to him, and I...I left h-him there! He was t-there with whoever did this to him and I left him there. I c-could have done something, I could have saved him!"

"James, you need to calm down. You didn't know and he won't blame you for that," Brooke said, trying to comfort her distraught son.

"Mom...he did bad things to him, really bad things. He's hurt so bad, and he w-woke up and t-told me to leave him alone!" James said, choking back another sob.

"Can you tell me what you know?" Brooke asked softly.

"H-He was...he was r-r," James tried to get out.

"It's alright, you don't have to say it. Griffin told Jen what happened and I know it's a shock. Now I want you to listen to me, I promise you that he will have the very best care. Right now he's traumatized and probably doesn't want anyone near him. It's a very common reaction after someone has been...attacked like this. We will all be there for him every step of the way, but you need to know that it's not going to be easy. He's probably going to be afraid, distant, and angry. He's going to act out and try to push those who love him away, but we aren't going anywhere, do you understand?" Brooke said firmly.

"Y-Yes mama, that's what Papi said too," James said, as he took a ragged breath.

"Good! Now, I'm going to have to get off of here for a little while. Do you want me to call you back, or will you be alright until we get there?" Brooke asked.

"I-I think I'm okay. Papi w-wants to talk to us about something anyway," James said.

"Wait, Antonio is there now?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, Camille's dad called him b-because we couldn't get ahold of you or Mama Knight. Why?"

"No reason darling, I just didn't know he was there already," Brooke said.

"He g-got here last night. The doctor said she needed a parent's permission to treat Kendall. I guess there was an argument because Griffin wanted to take him to his mansion but the doctor didn't think it was a good idea," James told her.

The attendant knocked on the door. "Please take your seat, we are preparing for take-off."

"Well we're on our way now, so there won't be anymore confusion. I have to go darling, we're about to take-off. If you need me before we get there, call me in about fifteen minutes."

"Okay. I love you mom," James said.

"I love you to darling, I'll see you soon," Brook said, ending the call. She opened the door and headed back to her seat. "I wonder why Griffin didn't mention any of that and exactly why the doctor was against sending him with Griffin?" she asked herself.

* * *

James took a deep breath before opening the door. Antonio was standing across the hallway, leaning against the wall, reading something on his phone. He looked up when he heard the door. "How are you doing?"

"My mom and Mama Knight are on their way home. She said they'll be here in a couple of hours," James told him.

"Why don't we go have a talk. We'll explain to you boys what's been going on and what we think happened," Antonio said.

"I'm afraid to know anymore," James admitted.

Antonio smiled softly. "We won't go into details about the attack. We'll tell you what happened before and after, and who we think is responsible."

"Do you really know who did this?"

"We think so, although the missing car has me concerned," Antonio said as they walked towards the other waiting room.

"I couldn't even be nice to him about that," James said quietly, as he stopped walking.

"About what?"

"K-Kendall wanted the keys to the car so he didn't have to ride with Jessica, and I...I said something mean and he left. Carlos t-told me off and ran the keys to him," James said, blinking back tears.

Antonio put his arm around James' shoulders. "You were hurt and acting out. While that doesn't excuse it, it is normal."

"I was so mean," James said.

"You'll make it up to him," Antonio said.

"H-How? He doesn't even w-want me near him."

"He's still heavily medicated and we don't know how long the drugs he was given are going to affect him. Chances are he doesn't remember very much and he's afraid of being held right now," Antonio said.

"He said he knew it was me and to l-leave him alone."

"It could be he was flashing back to an argument the two of you had," Antonio suggested.

"Maybe...w-when he came home the other night he t-told me to leave him alone after I accused him being out with Jessica."

"Why would you think that?" Antonio asked.

"He was late getting home and Guitar Dude told me that Jessica looked like J-Jo and I was worried that maybe he realized what he'd given up to be with m-me," James told him.

"What happened after that?"

"Later we talked and h-he told me she doesn't look like Jo and that he loves me. I don't know why though, I'm such a jerk," James said.

"James, you are not a jerk. You're a kid who's in love and insecure because of what your parents went through and because people judge you for your looks. You're seventeen, you've never really been in love before, so of course you're afraid. I was afraid when I was your age, love is terrifying," Antonio said.

"Really?"

"Really. Love isn't easy, it can actually be very complicated, especially in your situation. You boys have been friends since you were in preschool, you're away from home, and you're in the public eye. None of those things makes this easy. So you need to decide if this real, if it's something worth fighting for, or is it because you're comfortable with each other and you didn't think you'd have to risk getting hurt?"

James closed his eyes for moment, trying to imagine Kendall not in his life. "It's real. I can't imagine my life without him. I want us to always be together, maybe get married, have a family, grow old together. I can't live without him in my life."

Antonio smiled softly. "Then fight for that life. No matter how hard it is, no matter how long it takes, because it'll be worth it in the end."

"What if I can't do it?"

"You can, you know the boys and I will always be here for you and Kendall," Antonio promised.

James nodded and took a deep breath. "So I need to know what happened so I can help Kendall."

"Then let's go talk," Antonio said opening the door to the waiting room.

* * *

Griffin was sitting at the table, tapping his foot up and down, when an officer came in and handed him a phone. "It's about time!" he snapped.

"One call only," the officer said as he turned and left.

"We'll see about that," Griffin grumbled as he punched in Jessica's number.

"Hello?"

"Jessica, it's Griffin. I need you to do some things immediately."

"Of course Artie, what is it?" she asked.

"Go to my house and make sure that the room is ready for Kendall. Call the security company and have them escort the medics to the hospital and then back to my house. Call in one of the company doctors and have them go in with the medics. Then send the limo to pick up Mrs. Knight at the airport and have the driver take the long route back to my house. I want you to make sure that Kendall is settled in before his mother gets there. I want all of this done within the next two hours. Is that clear?"

"Yes, but what if the hospital won't release him?" she asked, knowing that the doctor there was not going to make this easy.

"They have no choice. We have Mrs. Knight's consent, both written and verbal. If they give you any trouble, call the police," Griffin said firmly.

"Alright, are they going to release you soon?"

"Yes, they'll find out that the evidence they think they have won't hold up in court, but it may take a couple of hours. That's why I need you to get this all done. If I'm not there by the time his mother gets there.. stall," he ordered.

"What if Kendall is awake and refuses to go?" she asked.

"Again, he has no choice. Make sure to have the doctor sedate him before his mother gets there."

"I will," she said as she ended the call.

Griffin sat back in the chair and smiled to himself.

* * *

The boys sat there in shock, not saying a word. To hear that their boss might be responsible for the attack on the friend, their brother, was nearly impossible to wrap their minds around.

"That's what he meant," Logan said, finally finding his voice.

"That's what who meant?" Sam asked.

"Griffin...the second day. I w-went to take notes for Kendall because he wasn't feeling well. Griffin wasn't happy, he said he likes me, but I'm not the one he wants," the teen said, his voice breaking.

"Is that all he said?" Antonio asked.

Logan thought back and shook his head. "He said he would wait for Kendall. He said he was sending the car for him at noon the next day and for him not to be sick."

Antonio looked over at Sam as he tried to keep his temper in check. _He planned this all along,_ he thought to himself.

Sam noticed the look in Antonio's eyes and gave him a quick shake of his head, now was not the time to go ballistic. "Do you boys remember anything else from before this last week?"

"Like what?" Carlos asked.

"Anything. Maybe a look, or something Griffin said in passing," Sam prompted.

Logan and Carlos shook their heads.

"Bad boy," James said quietly.

"What's that?"

"Griffin wanted a bad boy for the group, and when Kendall refused, he brought in WayneWayne. Gustavo wanted us to come up with a plan to get rid of him, and Kendall came up with the Bad Boy Off. He won, but..."

"But what?" Antonio asked.

"It's hard to put into words, but after that it was like Griffin was always putting us in situations where Kendall challenged him," James told him.

"How so?" Sam asked.

"Like the reality show?" Logan said, looking at James for confirmation.

James nodded.

"And the demos, the photo shoot, the beach party where Griffin suddenly showed up when it was supposed to be our weekend there," Carlos added.

"That footage at the pool...Griffin wasn't going to back down and destroy it, until we got that recording of him dancing in his office," James said.

"What footage?" Antonio asked.

"Griffin had cameras following us everywhere because he wanted us to have a "live" television show. Kendall had been swimming and I guess his trunks slipped down when he got out of the pool. He told the producer and Griffin that he wanted the footage back, but they refused, saying it would air," Logan explained.

"He's a minor, there's no way in hell they could have released that," Antonio said, his own anger growing.

"I don't think, legally, they could have used anything that could be perceived as sensitive subject matter," Sam said.

"Do you know what happened to that footage?" Antonio asked.

"H-He said he destroyed it. He said if we deleted the recording of him, he would delete the one of K-Kendall," Logan said, his eyes tearing up.

"Has he been planning this all along?" James asked, his face flushed with anger..

"I don't know, Mijo, but I swear I will find out and that Griffin will pay for everything he has done," Antonio promised.

"Are you really sure it was Griffin? I mean, I know he's weird and eccentric, but do you really think he would hurt one of us?" Carlos asked quietly.

"Who else could it be?" James snapped.

"I don't know, but if our car is missing, maybe it was the person who took it," Carlos suggested.

"And ALL of the stuff that's been going on, was THAT someone else too?" James yelled, standing up and taking a step towards his friend.

Antonio moved between James and Carlos. "James, sit down, now. He does have a point, the missing car is something we haven't had a chance to think about, and it COULD point to different assailant."

"Not with everything else that's happened," James said angrily.

"I agree, but we have to look at this from all sides. This kind of assault is not something you want to label an innocent person with," Antonio told him.

"But..." James started. He was so angry and so confused, he just wanted things back the way they were, and he KNEW Griffin was behind this. Why else would the older man have insisted that Kendall be the one to learn the business. Why else would he have made sure the rest of them were separated from their friend?

"James, if we find our car we'll have more answers," Carlos said gently.

James sat back down, tugging his own hair. "What am I going to do?"

Carlos pulled James' hands down from his head and held them. "WE, are going to do everything we can to help Kendall, and to make sure that whoever did this, pays for his crimes. But we have to be certain that it's the right person, and we have to let the police do their job."

"I have a question," Logan said quietly.

"What is it, son," Antonio asked.

"If Kendall drove to work, why would he let anyone drive him home? If he and Jessica went out, wouldn't he have had her take him back to the studio, so he could get the car?"

"That is a very good question," Sam said, looking over at Antonio.

* * *

Olivia sat there holding Kendall as he cried. She hummed an old lullaby her mother used to sing to her, and he started to calm down. He nodded off so she gently laid him back against the pillows.

He jerked awake. "It's okay, honey," she said softly.

"W-Why am I really h-here?"

She sat back down next to him. "What do you remember?"

Kendall thought back."I-I w-was at work, then I w-was dreaming, then I was h-here"

"What were you dreaming about?"

"I d-don't know, b-bad dreams," he said as he started to shake.

"Sweetie, you need to try to stay calm," Olivia said.

"I d-don't know what's wrong! I c-can't concentrate, I c-can't think, why can't I remember?" He asked, starting to tug at the bandage around his throat.

"You need to leave that alone," she said taking his hand.

"Why am I here? Why won't anyone tell me the truth? Where's my mom, is she okay?" he asked again, tears pooling in his eyes.

"Your mom is on her way here, she should be here in just a few hours," Olivia told him.

"P-Please tell me w-what happened!" Kendall said, as his breathing became laboured.

Olivia grabbed an oxygen mask and placed it on him. "Take deep, even breaths, it's going to be alright."

"What happened to m-me?" He sobbed as he closed his eyes.

Olivia blinked back tears of her own as she watched him fall back to sleep. She jumped as a large hand gently squeezed her shoulder. "It's not right," she said, shaking her head.

"No it's not, but the man responsible for this is going to pay. If it takes me the rest of my life, I will see to that," Freight Train promised her.


	29. Chapter 29

Brooke went back to her seat and prepared for take-off. She kept going over in her mind what James had told her and what Griffin had told Jen. There was something wrong, she knew it, but couldn't quite place her finger on it. Alarms were going off in her head and she decided to call Antonio as soon as she was allowed to turn her phone back on.

A few moments later the plane had taken off and then the seat belt sign went off.

"Is everything alright?" Jen asked, noting her friend's distracted behaviour.

Brooke nodded and then smiled at Katie, who was being unnaturally quiet. Brooke pulled out a credit card and slid it through the monitor in front of Katie. "Here, why don't you choose a video game or movie to help pass the time?"

Katie gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Mama Diamond."

"Anything for you, darling," Brooke smiled back.

Katie looked through the selections and chose a game. She put the headphones on and started to play. She normally loved video games, but her thoughts were distracted, wondering what had happened to her brother and why her mom wasn't telling her everything. Jen had told her he was in the hospital, but not why, and that frightened her more than anything. If he was sick, or had been in an accident, Jen would have told her. She stole a sideways glance at her mom, who gave her a reassuring smile. Jen looked composed and relaxed, but Katie could tell something very bad must have happened, because her mother hated flying and was always a nervous wreck until long after they had landed. Please let my big brother be alright, Katie silently prayed.

Brooke waited until Katie was engrossed in her game and then leaned towards Jen so she could speak without being overheard. "Jen, did Griffin tell you that Antonio is in L.A. with the boys?"

Jen shook her head. "No, he is?"

Brooke nodded. "I gave James a quick call to see how the boys are holding up, and he said Antonio is there now."

"Does Griffin know?"

"Yes...Jen, did Griffin tell you that the doctor does not want to release him into his custody?"

"He said the doctor was concerned because of the legalities, that's why he had me send him the release form," Jen told her.

Brooke thought for a moment before continuing. "The release form we all signed, it's only in affect so long as NO parent is present, correct?"

"I think so, why?" Jen asked, wondering what Brooke was thinking.

"If Antonio was already there and can make the decisions needed, WHY did Griffin feel it necessary to take custody?" Brooke asked carefully.

"He explained that he can keep the paparazzi away and Kendall will have around the clock care," Jen said.

"Jen, I think maybe we should wait until we get to L.A. before letting anyone move Kendall anywhere," Brooke suggested.

"Brooke, Griffin is only looking after Kendall's best interests. If the paparazzi find out that he was... f-find out w-what happened, it will destroy him," Jen said, fighting back tears again.

"I understand that, but the paparazzi also keep track of the hospitals and don't you think it would intrigue them to find out he was moved to a private facility for care?" Brooke asked.

"Griffin has been in the business for years, I think I can trust him to do what's best," Jen said defensively. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and Griffin had always seemed trustworthy to her.

"That may be true, but he is a businessman first and is used to looking after his own interests. He may not understand how something like this will affect everyone," Brooke said gently.

"T-That's true..." Jen agreed.

"We also know that Antonio will make decisions based on what's best for the children, and he's a police officer," Brooke said.

"I know, but I think Kendall would be safer at Griffin's house. It's a gated community and he promised he would have enough security to keep anyone who might be a threat away," Jen said quietly, although what Brooke said made a great deal of sense. She just wanted what was best for her son, and Griffin could keep the paparazzi away.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but maybe just wait until we get there and you've had a chance to speak to the doctor yourself. There must be a reason the doctor didn't want him moved, and maybe you should find out why before making a decision," Brooke said.

"I've already told them to release Kendall, though."

"So we call them back and tell them that you've changed your mind and you want to speak with the doctor first," Brooke said, pulling out her phone.

"Brooke, I sent the release hours ago, they've probably already moved him," Jen pointed out.

Brooke shook her head. "Not when I spoke with James, and even if they have, you should see what the doctor has to say," she said as she called Antonio's cell.

* * *

  
Jessica, the medics, and Griffin's personal physician waited for a different attorney and the security team, since Rutger had refused to enforce Mrs. Knight's release form.

She smiled as Attorney Dennis Howard pulled up behind Griffin's limo, the security team in the car behind him.

She looked in the passenger window of the limo. "You can leave now, I will ride back in the ambulance with Kendall."

"I'm sorry, where are you taking Mr. Kendall?" Harrison asked.

"To Mr. Griffin's mansion where he will be receiving medical care. Now, Griffin needs you to head to the airport and wait for a call. We'll need you to pick up Mrs. Knight when her flight gets in, and bring her to Mr. Griffin's as well," Jessica ordered.

Harrison looked at her suspiciously, but nodded. He did not like the young woman and decided he would call Ms. Wainright as soon as he left.

Jessica smiled and extended her hand as Mr. Howard walked up to her. "Thank you for getting here so quickly. Mr. Griffin wants to have Kendall settled in by the time his mother's flight gets in and the doctor is not being cooperative."

He shook her hand and waved the security team over. "If the boy's mother wants him moved, the doctor really can't prevent it, unless he isn't stable."

"He was stabilized hours ago and we have the verbal consent, as well as written, from his mother," Jessica explained as they headed inside.

"There shouldn't be any problems then," he said.

"We need to speak to Mr. Simmons regarding a patient we are here to transfer to a private facility."

She nodded and picked up the phone and called Simmon's office. "Yes, I have a Mr. Howard who is here to speak to Mr. Simmons about transferring..." She looked over at him.

"Kendall Knight," he said.

"Kendall Knight," she said typing in his name. "Yes, it looks like he is currently in the pediatric ICU. Alright, I'll tell him," she said, hanging up.

"Well?"

"Mr. Simmons is currently in a board meeting. His assistant is going to see if she can interrupt him. Until then, I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

"We have the release form his mother signed," Jessica said.

"I understand that, but as the patient is in ICU. Mr. Simmons will have to confirm with the attending that he is stable enough to transfer," she told them.

Jessica went to say something, but Howard stopped her. "We understand and will be in the main waiting area."

"Thank you. I will let you know as soon as I hear anything," the nurse said.

"Thank you," he said, taking Jessica by the arm and lead the way to the waiting room.

"We HAVE what we need, these delays are ridiculous!" Jessica fumed.

"Protocol is necessary and they have to be certain the young man is able to be moved without risk. If they release him and a crisis occurs, they could very well be sued by the family," Howard explained.

"Mr. Griffin has the release form and already signed something releasing them from any responsibility if anything happens," she said.

"I would prefer that he be released in stable condition, so we will wait," Howard said firmly.

"Mr. Griffin wants him at his house before his mother gets there AND we have the release form," Jessica said, getting frustrated that no one seemed to be listening to her.

"A release form will be of little use if we move him against the doctor's advisement. Griffin would be the one responsible and he could be sued if we do not follow the doctor's orders," Howard told her, wondering where Griffin had found this particular "assistant".

"The doctor has made it very clear that she does not like Griffin. She has managed to make things difficult for him, including these trumped-up charges, which is why he asked Mrs. Knight for the release," Jessica argued.

"Which is why we need to make certain that the hospital director clears the young man for transfer. If there is any chance he could take a turn for the worse, it's better to leave him where he is. It will remove all obligation from Arthur," Howard said, looking at his watch.

Jessica went to respond when the nurse waved at them. "It's about time," she said under her breath.

Howard shook his head at her as they walked back to the desk. "Patience is a virtue," he said quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jessica asked.

"Exactly," Howard responded as he smiled at the nurse.

She smiled back. "Mr. Simmons said for you to head to his office, which is all the way down this hall, and then to your right," she said, pointing to the hallway on the other side of the lobby.

"Thank you," Howard said, taking Jessica by the arm as he started across the lobby. He released her when they were out of earshot. "Perhaps you should stay in the waiting area. If the doctor is having trouble making up their mind about releasing him, you will mot likely not help the matter."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jessica asked angrily.

"It would seem that you are a little too close to this issue and have may difficulty being tactful," he told her.

"Ar-Mr. Griffin has put me in charge of this task and I will see it through," she said firmly.

"Which you can do waiting here with the ambulance. If the doctor is having any second thoughts about releasing him, your presence may very well decide that for them. Wait here and I will call you as soon as we are headed down," Howard ordered.

Jessica huffed. "I will NOT wait here, I will do what Mr. Griffin told me to do."

"Which is to have the young man transferred to his residence, which you WILL be doing," Howard said as he waved for the medics and security people to join him.

"Now just a minute!" Jessica yelled as he started down the hallway.

Howard turned and looked at her. "You will wait here, either alone or with one of the security men to keep you company."

Jessica huffed again. "Arthur will be hearing about this," she said angrily.

"I have no doubt about that," he said as he started back down the hallway.

* * *

  
Kelly and Gustavo were sitting in the first waiting room. Kelly had stopped crying and had her head lying on Gustavo's shoulder.

"Kelly, you were amazing, I wish I were as brave as you," Gustavo said quietly to his assistant.

Kelly gave him a small smile. "You are."

"No, I'm really not," Gustavo said, wondering what was going to happen to all of them now. Griffin owned Rocque records, and this was going to be the end of their careers, of everything they had all worked so hard for.

"We'll get through this, he won't win," Kelly said, knowing what Gustavo was thinking.

"How?"

"We'll find a way, we always do," Kelly said, kissing his cheek.

"The boys come first. I have enough set aside to take care of them for awhile, and the insurance should cover most of Kendall's medical bills. Whatever it doesn't cover, I will," Gustavo said.

"That will help and I'll call my friend, who's an attorney, to see what we can do to protect the copyrights of your songs," Kelly said.

Gustavo shook his head. "The company owns them."

"Only the publishing rights, and if Griffin is convicted there may be a way to get those back," Kelly told him.

"Do you really think so?"

"It can't hurt to try," she said, smiling softly.

"No it can't" he agreed.

Kelly cell phone rang. "Kelly Wainright," she answered.

"Miss Wainright, this is Harrison, Mr. Griffin's driver."

Kelly looked at Gustavo and mouthed, Harrison, to him.

"What does HE want?" Gustavo asked. He didn't trust any of Griffin's employees right now and Harrison had been with Griffin for years.

Kelly put her hand over her phone. "Shh, I'm going to find out."

"Miss Wainright, I wanted to let you know that Mr. Griffin's assistant and attorney are at the hospital, with medics and a security team, to collect Mr. Kendall. I'm not sure what's going on, the boys told me last night that he's in the hospital, and I know he's been feeling very ill lately. I may be speaking out of turn, and if I am, I apologize, but I do not trust Ms. James and do not believe they have the boy's best interest at heart."

"They're on their way up, now?" Kelly asked, grabbing Gustavo's hand and pulling him toward the door.

"Yes, and I am to collect Mrs. Knight from the airport and take her to Mr. Griffin's house," Harrison told her.

"Can you do me a favour?" Kelly asked as she headed down to the other waiting room.

"Of course."

"Collect Mrs. Knight, but bring her here. They aren't taking Kendall anywhere," Kelly said.

"I will do that," Harrison promised.

* * *

  
At about the same time Harrison called Kelly, Antonio's cell rang. "Garcia."

"Antonio, it's Brooke. Jen and I should be in L.A in the next couple of hours, but she has a few questions. Is now a good time?"

"Of course," he said looking at Sam and standing up.

"Who is it, Papi?" Carlos asked.

"Kendall's mom," he said as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"Here's Jen," Brooke said, handing the phone to her friend.

"A-Antonio, how is Kendall, are you still with him?"

"He's doing much better. Of course I'm still with him and I'm not going anywhere," Antonio said.

"Are you still at the hospital or Griffin's mansion?"

"We're still at the hospital. His doctor has him in the pediatric unit because of the higher security," Antonio told her.

"When did you g-get there?"

"Early this morning. Sam Roberts called me because no one had been able to get ahold of you or Brooke."

"I know, I don't know what happened with our phones. We were wondering why the boys weren't answering," Jen said.

"The important thing is that you're alright and on your way home."

"We should be landing in a couple of hours and Griffin is going to have a car waiting for us to take us to his mansion. He said he was going to move Kendall there and I was surprised to hear he hasn't shown up yet," Jen said.

"About that...Jen, Dr. Burns doesn't think it's safe to move him yet," Antonio said carefully, not sure how much Jen actually knew, and not wanting to panic her anymore than she already was.

"Why? I thought he was doing better and Griffin can keep the paparazzi away."

"He is doing better, but he still requires close monitoring and I know she's planning on running some more blood tests," he told her.

"Can't Griffin's doctor do that?" Jen asked, wondering why everyone was so against Griffin caring for her son.

"Why don't I let you speak to her and she can explain her concerns," Antonio said, heading down to Kendall's room.

"Alright, but what do you think I should do?" Jen asked.

"Honestly, I think he's better off here. Maybe you should wait until you get here and decide," Antonio suggested, nodding to Freight Train who opened the door for him.

Olivia was sitting in the chair next to Kendall's bed and making notations in his chart. Kendall was sleeping again, and Antonio hoped he was getting some real rest this time.

Olivia looked up and gave him a small smile. "I gave him a little more Valium, he needs the rest."

Antonio hit the mute on his phone. "Kendall's mom is on the phone, and would like to speak to you. I don't know how much she knows, or what Griffin told her, but she's confused about what's going on."

Olivia nodded and he unmuted the phone. "Jen, here's the doctor," he said, handing Olivia the phone.

"Mrs. Knight, my name is Dr. Burns and I've been caring for your son since he was brought in."

"How is h-he?" Jen asked, feeling tears starting to form again.

"He's doing very well. He's sleeping right now, or I would let you talk to him," Olivia said softly.

"Was there any p-permanent d-damage?"

"From?"

"T-The attack."

"Why don't you tell me what you know," Olivia suggested.

"G-Griffin said he was m-mugged and dumped at the p-park. That you t-thought he may have b-been..." Jen said, faltering.

"May have been what?" Olivia asked gently.

"Ra-...a-assaulted," Jen said, choking back a sob.

Olivia looked over at Antonio and pointed towards the door. He nodded and they both went out into the hallway. "I'm afraid that's true, but there is no permanent damage, and I know some very good psychologists that can help him deal with everything."

"W-What about d-disease?"

"We've tested him for everything, and so far, it's come back negative. It does appear that a condom was used, which is very good news. We will want to start him on the PEP treatment as soon as he's a little more stable," Olivia said.

"What is that?"

"It's a post-exposure prophylaxis treatment that he'll need to be on for a month. It's to prevent HIV," Olivia told her.

"It works?"

"Yes, as long as we start treatment within 72 hours."

"Is t-there a reason you don't want him moved to Griffin's home? He can p-protect him from the media and maybe whoever d-did this," Jen asked, tears starting to fall.

"There are a few, actually. We had to place a jugular catheter and it's still in place. We also had to give him an epidural for pain, and there are risks with that because of the anemia."

"Anemia?" Jen asked.

"Didn't Griffin tell you he was being treated for anemia?"

"N-No, he never said a word!"

"Apparently Kendall hasn't been feeling well for a few days, and he was diagnosed with anemia by a company doctor. It's a little complicated and that is one of the main reasons I feel he would do better staying here," Olivia said.

"I wonder why Griffin didn't mention that," Jen asked.

"Mrs. Knight, perhaps we should wait until you get here, that way I can go over everything with you, and hopefully he'll be awake enough for you to speak to him."

"Does he k-know?" Jen asked quietly.

"Not really, he thinks he was brought in because he's been ill and I haven't elaborated on it."

"Alright, if you think he's better off there, let's wait until I get there and we can talk more," Jen said, not happy that Griffin hadn't told her that her son had been sick.

"I truly think it's best for him," Olivia said, relieved they no longer had to worry about Griffin taking the boy.

Olivia heard someone calling her name and looked towards the nurses' station where she saw Mr. Simmons, a man in a three-piece suit, and several other men. "Mrs. Knight, can you hold the line for just a moment, please?"

"Of course," Jen said.

Olivia handed the phone back to Antonio, who hit mute.

About this time Kelly came out of the second waiting room, pulling Gustavo along with her. Sam had told her Antonio and Olivia were speaking to Mrs. Knight and she had started back for Kendall's room.

"Griffin is sending someone here to take custody," she called down to them.

"They're already here," Olivia said passing them and heading towards the nurses' station.

"Dr. Burns, this gentleman is here to take Kendall Knight to a private facility. They have a signed release form from his mother, and he needs to be released into their custody immediately," Mr. Simmons said firmly.

Olivia indicated for Antonio to join her. "I happen to have his mother on the phone and she is rescinding that order," she said taking the phone from Antonio and putting it on speaker.

"Hello?" Jen asked.

"Mrs. Knight, this is Dr. Burns. I have our hospital administrator, as well as a gentleman representing Mr. Griffin, here to remove Kendall from my care. Could you please tell them that you have chosen to have him remain here until you arrive?"

"Yes, I want Kendall to stay where he is until I get there," Jen said, not sure what was going on.

"How do we know that's her?" Mr. Howard asked.

"Officer Garcia has known her for years and can confirm that it's her," Olivia said.

"It's her. Her name is Jennifer Rose Knight, she is from Shakopee, Minnesota, and currently resides at the Palmwoods, here in Los Angeles," Antonio said, not batting an eye.

"Well, I guess that settles that," Mr. Simmons said, looking at Howard.

"I guess it does," Howard agreed.

"I take it we will have no more visits?" Olivia asked angrily.

"Not as long as his mother wants him to remain here," Howard said, relieved that he was no longer responsible for the sick boy.

"Good, now if you don't mind, you are disrupting this area. I am going back to my patient and make sure he is still resting," Olivia said and headed back for Kendall's room.

"We'll see you soon, Jen," Antonio said. He waited a moment to make sure that Howard and his people were leaving, before following Olivia.

Sam was standing in front of the waiting room door, making sure the other kids didn't come out. Olivia indicated to him to follow and stopped outside of Kendall's room, where Kelly and Gustavo had gone to stand with Freight Train.

"I guess that takes care of that," Sam said.

"Yes…Sam, you and I never said anything about Kendall being sexually assaulted in front of Griffin, did we?"

"No, you only discussed the drugs, anemia and how unstable he was. Why?"

"Because apparently he told Mrs. Knight that Kendall had been raped. If we didn't mention it, how did he know?" Olivia asked pointedly.

* * *

  
Howard and the others went back downstairs and found Jessica waiting for them. She watched as the empty gurney headed out the door. "Where is he?"

"His mother has rescinded the consent form and wants him to remain here," Howard told her.

"How did she do that?"

"She was speaking to the doctor, who recommends he remain here," Howard told her.

"Mr. Griffin has custody and you will go back up and bring him along," Jessica ordered.

"No, I will not. The parent's wishes take precedence over that of a temporary custody form," Howard told her as he headed for the door.

Jessica rushed after him. "Are you saying that this order will not hold up in court?"

"Technically, yes. Is it worth the trouble? No, as his mother will be here soon."

"Then we will do as Griffin ordered and bring Kendall with us, Jessica said firmly.

"Then YOU go get the boy, I've done all I'm going to do," Howard said, tossing the papers at her and getting into his car.

"I will!" She grabbed the nearest security man. "We are not leaving here without him. Get the others and the medics and meet me upstairs," she ordered, heading back inside.

A few moments later, Jessica and the others got out of the elevator on the pediatric floor and she walked determinedly to the nurses' station. She handed the head nurse the custody form. "We are here to take Kendall Knight to a private facility. I have been informed that this document WILL hold up in court until his mother rescinds it IN court."

The nurse shook her head. "Miss..."

"James," Jessica snapped.

"Miss James, this matter has already been decided and I cannot go against the doctor's orders.

"This is a LEGAL custody form and I am here to see it is enforced, She said, waving the medics and security over to the station.

* * *

 

The boys and Camille were still waiting for the parents to return and could hear an argument going on. James heard the name, Miss James, and started out the door.

"James!" Logan called after his friend. They followed him out and watched as a young, blonde woman argued with one of the nurses.

"Jessica," James growled, and headed towards the desk.

Carlos pushed Logan towards Kendall's room. "Get Papi!"

Logan took off running down the hall. "Freight train, we're going to need help!" Logan yelled as he ran towards the large man.

James got to the nurses' station and stopped about a foot from where Jessica was standing. Carlos was on his left, Camille on his right. "Jessica James?" James hissed.

Jessica stopped yelling at the nurse and looked over at them. She suddenly smiled demurely. "James Diamond? You have no idea how much I've wanted to meet you."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm following Mr. Griffin's orders and taking Kendall somewhere where the paparazzi won't be able to bother him."

"You're not taking him anywhere," Carlos said angrily.

"I have a piece of paper that says I am." She smirked and held up the release form.

James snatched it out of her hand and ripped it in half. "Get out of here now!"

Her demeanor changed and her eyes narrowed. "I will be leaving, as soon as we have Kendall."

James took a step towards her, blocking the way. "You aren't taking him anywhere. Now leave, before I carry you out."

"I'd like to see you try," she said and pulled back her hand. She slapped him hard, across the face.

"Hey, you can't do that!" Carlos yelled.

"Do what...this?" Jessica asked, pulling her hand back again.

The blow never landed as Camille caught her hand and held it firmly, only inches from James' face. Camille smiled coldly as she started to twist Jessica's wrist around and then released her suddenly. Jessica stumbled, but caught herself.

Jessica was at least six inches taller than the petite brunette and towered over her. She stood back and went to hit Camille, but Camille was quicker and landed a sound blow across the other girl's face. She then stood in front of James and put her hands on her hips. "The guys may be gentlemen and never strike a girl, but I'm not, and have no problem tossing you out the nearest window."

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Jessica asked as she took a step towards her.

Camille smiled again. "Do it," she said in a low voice.

"I wouldn't if I were you. Camille has six years of martial arts training under her belt," Sam said, coming up behind his daughter.

Jessica glared at them, and then looked over at James. "I thought we could have a good time together, but up close...you're nothing special."

She turned on her heel and stormed off towards the elevators.

"Why you..." Camille sputtered and grabbed a roll of sports tape that was on the counter. She gauged the distance and launched it at the back of Jessica's head. It hit and Jessica yelped.

Camille made as if she were going to follow her. "You better run!"

Jessica looked over and took off running down the hallway.

Camille turned and looked at her friends, who were standing there in silent admiration. She kissed James' cheek. "Nobody messes with MY boys."


	30. Chapter 30

Carlos sat next to Kendall's bed, watching his friend sleep. Kendall had stirred once, but fallen back to sleep as Carlos quietly sang to him. Olivia had thought it was a good idea for one of the boys to be with Kendall while the adults discussed what they knew. The boys had unanimously decided on Carlos, as he was least likely to panic, or to panic Kendall, if he woke up screaming again. He sighed sadly as he looked at his friend's bruised and battered face.

"We're supposed to be celebrating finishing our album, we were so happy just a few days ago. We've worked so hard for everything. I don't understand how can someone do something like this? It's not fair," he said softly.

Kendall shifted a little and groaned. "M-Mama?"

Carlos stood up and took his hand. "It's okay, buddy, I'm here."

"L-Los?" Kendall said, struggling to open his eyes.

Carlos smiled and squeezed Kendall's hand. "Yeah, it's okay, I've got you."

Kendall looked up at his friend, trying to focus his vision. "W-What happened?" His voice was rough and barely recognizable and Carlos felt a pang of sorrow go through him.

"Do you remember being sick?"

"Y-Yeah, is that why I'm h-here?" Kendall asked, trying to push through the fog in his mind.

"You had to have a blood transfusion because you were too anemic," Carlos told him, sticking to what Olivia had said to say if Kendall asked.

"W-Was I at work?"

"Yeah, I think you went for a walk after, because Camille and Mr. Roberts found you in the park," Carlos said.

"The park?" Kendall asked. He could only remember bits and pieces and thought he remembered lying down under a tree.

Carlos nodded, hoping Kendall didn't remember anything else right now.

Kendall knew something was off, but he couldn't tell what. He felt something itchy on his throat and went to tug at it. He stared at the cast and flexed his fingers, trying to remember when he had injured it. "What happened to my arm?"

Carlos reached over and gently pushed Kendall's back down. "Don't pull at the bandage, you still have a catheter in, but Olivia is going to take it out soon."

"A catheter...in my throat? Is that why my throat hurts?" Kendall asked, trying to sit up.

"Probably, and lie still," Carlos ordered, putting a retraining hand on Kendall's shoulder.

"Carlos, what happened to my arm?" Kendall asked again.

Carlos sat next to him. "We're not sure, y-you might have fallen."

"In the park?"

"Maybe," Carlos said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Kendall thought back. He remembered the sensation of falling, but nothing else. "Why can't I remember?"

"Probably because you don't feel well. You've been really sick, buddy," Carlos said.

"W-Why isn't my mom here. is she okay?"

"She's fine. There was something wrong with her phone, but it's working now. She called Papi about an hour ago, and their flight will be getting in soon," Carlos told him.

"F-Flight?"

Carlos nodded. "She, Katie and Mama Diamond were on a car trip, remember? When she finally called back and found out you were sick, they decided to fly back."

Kendall started shivering. "T-They're okay, though?"

"Everybody is okay, just worried about you. Are you cold, hermanito?"

Kendall nodded.

Carlos jumped up and started looking through the cupboards. "They must have extra blankets around here somewhere." He found extra blankets and grabbed two. He unwrapped one and covered Kendall with it and laid the other at the foot of the bed. He tucked the blanket around Kendall and sat down next to him.

"T-Thanks, Los."

Carlos smiled. "You're welcome. Are you warm enough, or do you want the other blanket?"

"It's fine, t-thanks."

"You should try to get some more rest," Carlos said.

Kendall bit his lip and looked up at Carlos. "J-James and L-Logan are mad at me."

"What? No! Olivia said only one person at a time, and its my turn," Carlos said squeezing his hand.

Kendall's eyes started to droop. "They were m-mad before."

"No one's mad, I promise."

"G-Gustavo...was he here?" Kendall asked.

"Yeah, he and Kelly came to see you," Carlos said carefully.

"He didn't yell."

"Kelly threatened to put him in the hospital if he did," Carlos said, thinking quickly.

Kendall gave him a small smile. "That sounds like her."

"Yeah, it does. Now get some more sleep, okay?" Carlos said, standing up.

Kendall grabbed his hand. "Don't leave me!"

Carlos sat back down. "I've got you and I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Kendall said as his eyes closed.

"I promise, I'll always be here," Carlos said.

"Y-You won't let anyone h-hurt me?" Kendall asked as he drifted off to sleep.

"I promise, no one is going to hurt you again," Carlos said, squeezing his friend's hand.

* * *

Their flight landed and, as with Antonio, Jen, Brooke, and Katie were allowed to disembark first. Jen held onto Katie with one hand and their carry-ons with the other, as they rushed down the ramp and towards the airport terminal. Brooke pointed to where Harrison was standing, holding up a sign that read, Knight.

He gave them a small smile as they approached. "Mrs. Knight, Mrs. Diamond, Miss Katie, he said bowing a little.

"Hello, Harrison," Jen said, slightly out of breath.

"Please, allow me," he said, reaching over and taking her bags from her.

"I can get them," she said.

He ignored her protests as he reached over and took Brooke's bag. "Miss Wainright has instructed me to drive you to the hospital. Do you have other luggage?"

"Yes, but I've arranged to have it delivered to the apartment," Brooke told him.

"Very good. They allowed me to leave the limo in the crew's parking area, so we can avoid any crowds," he said as he started across the terminal _._

 _Or paparazzi,_ Brooke thought as they followed him.

They walked through the exit terminal and Harrison lead the way across the private garage to the limo. He set their bags down and opened the back door for them.

"Thank you, Harrison," Jen said as she got in, pulling Katie along with her.

"My pleasure, Madame," he said.

Brooke smiled at him before getting in. "We appreciate everything you've done."

"I'm very fond of the boys and would do anything for them," he said, smiling back.

"They adore you, too," Brooke said, getting in.

Harrison quickly placed their bags in the trunk and then went around and got into the driver's seat. "It will take about half an hour to get there," he told them as he started the car.

"Thank you," Jen said quietly.

"Have you seen my brother?" Katie asked suddenly.

He looked at her through the rearview mirror, and smiled softly. "Not today. I drove for the other boys last night," he told her.

"Why wasn't he with them?" Katie asked.

"Katie, not now," Jen said.

"But, mom..." Katie started.

"Mr. Kendall was attending meetings with investors, while the other boys entertained their children at Disneyland," Harrison explained.

"Why did Kendall have to meet with investors, that sounds more like a Logan thing," Katie pointed out.

"Katie, that's enough!"Jen snapped, trying to hold back tears.

Katie's eyes started to tear up. "But, it doesn't make sense."

"Darling, I'm sure Griffin and Gustavo will be able to explain things a little better than Harrison," Brooke said reassuringly.

Jen pulled Katie close and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm just tired and I know you're worried, but Kendall is doing fine. I spoke with the doctor and she said he's doing much better."

"What happened to him?" Katie asked.

Jen looked at Brooke, not sure what to say.

Brooke reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Katie's ear. "They think he was mugged, and apparently he hasn't been feeling very well, so the doctor is being extra careful. They also don't want word to get out because they don't want the paparazzi trying to sneak into his room."

"He was feeling fine before we left," Katie said.

"Honey, I promise we'll tell you everything, once we know what happened," Jen said, kissing her forehead again.

"Okay, mom." Katie sighed, knowing that was all they were going to tell her. She thought back to the days before they had left, trying to remember if Kendall had seemed sick. _He was just tired, they were all tired_ , _and what would that have to do with being mugged?_ She asked herself.

* * *

Antonio paced back and forth in the small room. They had called Officer Jordan and found he was out on a call, but said he would be there as soon as possible. Both Sam and Olivia and gone back over what had happened with Griffin and neither recalled anyone saying anything about Kendall being sexually assaulted, yet Griffin had known.

Sam sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, watching his friend. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor at this rate."

Antonio stopped and looked over at him."Sorry, I'm just..."

"You don't have to explain," Sam said softly.

Gustavo was quiet, a scowl on his face, as he went over things in his mind. _I missed something. There had to have been signs, Griffin must have done this before. Why Kendall? Did I set him up for this, why didn't I see it!?_

Kelly finally stood up. "I think I'm going to take the boys and get them something to eat. Does anyone else want to come?"

Antonio, Olivia, and Sam all shook their heads.

She looked at Gustavo who was staring at his hands, not moving, still not saying anything. She gently touched his shoulder. "Hey, why don't you come with us? It might be a good idea to get some fresh air."

When he didn't answer she took his hand. He looked up at her and she could see he was close to breaking down. She pulled on his arm until he stood and then threw her arms around him. He stood there for a moment before hugging her back. "What are we going to do?" He choked out as tears started to fall.

She held him until he had calmed down. "We are going to do whatever we can and right now that means making sure the other boys are taken care of. Now, come with me. We need to get them some lunch and you a very large coffee," she said.

"This is my fault, I didn't protect him," Gustavo said.

Antonio squeezed his shoulder. "Gustavo, there is only one person to blame and it's not you. You gave the boys, our boys, an amazing opportunity, and you've always been there for them. No one blames you, please don't blame yourself."

"He's right, you know. You may be hard on them at times, but they know you love them. We all know," Kelly said, wiping a tear from his cheek.

"It wasn't enough," he said as he pushed past her and went out the door.

Antonio took Kelly's hand before she could follow Gustavo. "I'll go. Unfortunately, I've had to do this many times," he said as he headed out the door.

* * *

Gustavo could barely stand the overwhelming feelings of guilt and anger he felt. He had never had to deal with anything like this, had never cared about anyone the way he cared for these boys. The only other person he had let in this far was Kelly, but that had been a choice he had made, not something that had just...happened. Somehow these boys had managed to slip through his defenses and become a huge part of his life, without him even realizing it. They were family, _his_ family, and he realized they were a part of the man he was becoming. A moment later he found himself standing outside Kendall's room. He nodded to Freight Train as he went over and looked through the glass partition. He saw Carlos sitting next to Kendall and holding his hand. Gustavo smiled a little. _Sweet Carlos, always misjudged for his innocence and naivete but probably the wisest of us all,_ he thought.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and cleared his throat. "He's going to pay for this," Gustavo said without looking over.

"Yes he is," Antonio said.

"He's smart, plays dirty, and he can afford to buy off anyone."

"Not everyone is for sale, though," Antonio pointed out.

"So many people are. Is there enough to convict him?"

"We have the doctor's records, the hair samples, and the fact that Griffin knew what had happened without being told," Antonio said.

"Is it enough?" Gustavo asked again.

"It should be. There's also the possibility Kendall will be able to tell us more."

"I hope not...no one should have to remember something like that," Gustavo said, his voice breaking.

"No, but chances are he _will_ remember some, if not all, of it. That's when we need to be strong, because how we react will determine how well he handles everything," Antonio said softly.

"How do you do it?" Gustavo asked.

"Do what?"

"Handle...this kind of thing," Gustavo said, gesturing towards the boys.

"It's my job, it's what I trained for."

Gustavo shook his head. "I couldn't do it, no matter how much training I received."

"I hate to tell you this, my friend, but you're doing it now. You're doing it right and you're doing it without training."

Gustavo shook his head again. "I can't stop thinking about it, feels like my head is going to explode, and I wish more than anything I had five minutes alone with Griffin."

Antonio smiled and patted his shoulder. "See, you're handling it just right."

Gustavo looked at him. "So, what do we do?"

Antonio put an arm around his shoulders and tarted back towards the waiting room. "First, you and Kelly take the boys and get them something to eat. Jen will be here soon and she's going to need some time with Kendall."

Gustavo sighed. "This is not going to be easy."

"No, it's not and we are all going to need to keep up our strength," Antonio said as they reached the the waiting room.

Kelly came out at that moment. She smiled in relief when she saw Gustavo and hugged him again. "Are you alright?"

He hugged her back. "I'm fine, why don't we go get everyone some lunch?"

Kelly sniffled. "I was so worried about you."

"Pssh, why are you worried about me?"

"Because she's allowed to be," Antonio said.

Kelly smiled at Antonio gratefully. "Harrison called, they should be here in about ten minutes."

He nodded. "Would you mind taking the boys somewhere for awhile?"

"Of course not," she said and started for the other room, pulling Gustavo along with her.

"We'll bring you back something," Gustavo called back to him as Kelly continued pulling him along.

Antonio smiled and shook his head at the two. "I'll go get Carlos," he said as he turned and went back to Kendall's room. He went inside and stood behind his son, who was humming quietly.

Carlos jumped when Antonio put his hands on his shoulders. He looked up and smiled sadly. "Hi, Papi."

"Hey, I'm going to switch with you. Kelly and Gustavo are taking you boys to get something to eat."

Carlos shook his head. "No, Papi. I promised Kendall I wouldn't leave him."

"You're not leaving him, you're getting some lunch and will be right back."

Carlos shook his head again. "I'm not hungry and I'm not leaving him."

"Carlitos, you need to get out of here for awhile. It's going to be a long few days and we are all going to need to pace ourselves," Antonio said firmly.

"No," Carlos said, just as firmly.

"Carlos..." Antonio started.

"NO! I am not leaving him. I promised I would be here and protect him," Carlos said.

"Mijo, no one here is going to hurt him. He's safe and Freight Train is right outside the door," Antonio said gently.

Carlos shook his head. "He trusts me, Papi."

"I know he does, but he wouldn't want you to wear yourself out either."

"I won't and I promised," Carlos said again, as he took Kendall's hand.

"Carlos..."

"I promised, Papi. No one else can take care of him like me!"

Antonio pulled chair up and sat next to his son. "What's this really about?"

Carlos pursed his lips and shook his head.

"You need to tell me what's going on with you," Antonio said quietly.

Carlos looked down and started at the hand that was holding Kendall's. "I promised him everything would be okay, and it wasn't."

"That wasn't your fault, Mijo."

"And...and I'm really kind of mad right now," Carlos said.

"Of course you are, we all are," Antonio said, putting his arm around Carlos' shoulders.

"Not at them," Carlos whispered, shaking his head.

"At who?"

"J-James and Logan," Carlos said, his voice breaking.

"Talk to me," Antonio said, pulling him close.

"T-They didn't believe him, they said he was l-lying."

"I know, but it was just a huge misunderstanding," Antonio said.

"No, Papi. You don't believe strangers over friends. You don't accuse people you love of lying and cheating, because real friends don't do that and Kendall has always been a real friend. You don't take some strange girl's word for something and believe her over your friend, especially when that friend has always been there for you. Even given up their dreams, so you can have yours," Carlos said as he fought back tears.

"You know they love him and how sorry they are," Antonio said.

"NOW! Now, after all of this has happened and they realize what was going on. Maybe none of this would have happened if everyone had just talked and not been so stubborn and stupid about it all."

"Maybe not, but people make mistakes and they regret those mistakes. Do you really think James and Logan don't feel terrible about everything?"

"Yes...but it doesn't change anything. I don't want to be mad at them, and I'm trying not to be, but they didn't believe in him and I can't trust them to protect him right now," Carlos said, pulling away.

Antonio sighed, knowing his son was not going to change his mind. "Alright, you can stay until his mom gets here. She's going to want to be alone with him and you're going to let her. I'm serious about this, Mijo."

"That's fine. I'll wait outside with Freight Train," Carlos said.

"Alright, I'm going to ask Kelly to bring something back for you, and you will eat, understood?" Antonio asked, standing up.

"Yes, Papi," Carlos said, giving him a small smile.

Antonio walked over to the door and looked back. "I love you, Carlos."

"I love you too, Papi," Carlos said, smiling a little more.

'"You boys are going to drive me crazy, though," Antonio said as he opened the door.

"At least it won't be a long trip," Carlos quipped.

Antonio chuckled. "Smart aleck."

Carlos smiled at his dad as he closed the door. He stood up and pulled Kendall's blanket up a little more and sat back down. He took Kendall's hand again.

"Hmm?" Kendall mumbled.

"It's okay, it's just me. Go back to sleep, I've got you," Carlos promised.

Kendall sighed in his sleep and Carlos started singing softly again.

**So, not a lot happened in this chapter. It was going to be longer, but I really wanted to get something up before the bustle of the holidays got in the way. Next chapter, Jen and Katie get to see Kendall.**


End file.
